BX  8 .F4  1917 
Federal  Council  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ  in 
The  manual  of  inter-church 


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in  2017  with  funding  from 
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THE  MANUAL  OF 
INTER-CHURCH 
WORK 


Introduction  by 
MR.  FRED  B.  SMITH 
Edited  b^' 
REV.  ROY  B.  GUILD 


Published  by 

THE  COMMISSION  ON  INTER-CHURCH  FEDERATIONS 

OF  THE 

FEDERAL  COUNCIL  OF  THE  CHURCHES  OF  CHRIST 
IN  AMERICA 

I os  East  Twenty-second  Street 


New  York  City 


COPYRIGHT^  1917,  BY 
MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


CONTENTS 


Preface  - vii 

Introduction,  Fred.  B.  Smith ix 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Observation 
AND  Recommendations i 

I Comity 13 

II  Community  Evangelism 33 

III  Home  and  Foreign  Missions 59 

IV  Social  Service 91 

V  Religious  Education 121 

VI  Religious  Publicity 149 

VII  International  Justice  and  Goodwill 169 

VIII  Principles  and  Methods  of  Organization  193 
Appendix  : A Model  Constitution 217 

iii 


TO 

The  Members  of  That  New  and  Growing 
Order  of  Christian  Workers: 

The  Executive  Secretaries  of  the 
Federations  of  Churches 


PREFACE 


The  Manual  of  Inter-church  Work  is  the  result  of 
the  untiring  efforts  of  a great  body  of  Christian  work- 
ers in  all  parts  of  the  country  to  devise  methods  by 
which  the  church  could  hasten  the  answer  to  the 
prayer,  “Thy  Kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.”  It  is  a tribute  to  all  who 
have  believed  and  acted  on  the  belief  that  the 
churches  can  cooperate  effectively  in  the  perform- 
ance of  valuable  community  service  which  cannot 
otherwise  be  rendered. 

The  Commission  on  Inter-church  Federations 
wishes  to  express  its  great  appreciation  of  the  unselfish 
donation  of  time  and  thought  made  by  those  who 
served  upon  the  sub-commissions.  Some  of  the  chair- 
men sacrificed  their  vacations  that  the  reports  might 
be  prepared  in  time  to  be  printed  and  mailed  to  the 
delegates  a week  before  the  opening  of  the  Congress 
on  the  Purpose  and  Methods  of  Inter-church  Federa- 
tions held  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  October  1-4, 
1917. 

It  also  expresses  its  gratitude  to  Mr.  Harry  Wade 
Hicks  and  Mr.  Kenneth  M.  Gould,  of  the  Missionary 
Education  Movement,  who  served  with  the  editor 
upon  the  Committee  on  Editing. 

This  volume  is  so  prepared  that  it  can  be  used  as 
a manual  of  principles  and  methods  of  interchurch 
work.  Individual  judgment  must  be  used  in  the  appli- 
cation of  these  methods  to  any  particular  community. 
Those  wishing  further  counsel  or  assistance  should 
write  to  the  secretary  of  the  Commission.  Sugges- 
tions and  criticisms  are  earnestly  solicited  that  later 
editions  may  be  made  as  helpful  as  possible. 

The  Editor 


vii 


INTRODUCTION 


It  was  the  belief  of  the  Pittsburgh  Congress  and  is 
the  profound  conviction  of  the  Commission  on  Inter- 
church  Federations  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ  in  America  that  in  every  commu- 
nity, large  or  small,  where  two  or  more  Christian 
churches  exist,  in  the  interest  of  the  truest  Christian 
spirit  and  of  highest  efficiency,  there  ought  to  be  some 
form  of  interchurch  committee,  council,  leagtie,  club, 
or  federation  to  unite  the  Christian  forces  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  common  tasks. 

Christian  workers  have  longed  for  a reliable  text- 
book which  would  serve  to  guide  the  increasing  senti- 
ment for  a closer  unity  in  service  among  the  various 
churches  and  Christian  organizations.  In  presenting 
this  manual  added  value  may  be  given  to  it  by  a 
knowledge  of  a few  of  the  salient  facts  connected  with 
the  Pittsburgh  Congress  and  with  the  purposes  of  the 
Commission  on  Inter-church  Federations  on  which  a 
large  degree  of  responsibility  rests  for  the  fulfilment 
of  the  ideals  that  have  won  approval. 

In  the  first  place  it  is  an  important  and  significant 
fact  that  the  Congress  was  the  expression  of  the 
searching  investigation,  the  earnest  thought,  the  calm 
and  deliberate  judgment  of  the  105  persons  who  served 
upon  the  sub-commissions  whose  reports  were  the 
sole  basis  of  consideration. 

Most  of  these  sub-commissions  were  in  existence 
nearly  a year  prior  to  the  date  of  assembling  at  Pitts- 
burgh. Not  only  had  these  men  and  women,  who  had 
been  carefully  selected  because  they  had  expert 
knowledge  upon  the  themes  presented,  been  in  the 
active  work  of  preparation,  but  they  in  turn  had  con- 
sulted by  personal  interview  and  correspondence 


IX 


THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


scores  of  other  leaders  who  seemed  to  have  valuable 
contributions  to  make  to  the  reports.  Then  in  the 
sessions  of  the  Congress  there  was  brought  to  bear 
the  illuminating  discussion  of  506  keen  delegates  who 
for  three  days  gave  critical  suggestions  which  were 
carefully  considered  in  the  final  editing  of  the  reports. 

Beyond  this  there  may  be  much  interest  in  the  fact 
that  in  April,  1912,  at  the  close  of  the  “Men  and  Relig- 
ion” conventions  a group  of  Christian  men  agreed 
that  in  five  years  there  ought  to  be  a representative 
gathering  to  summarize  the  progress  of  cooperative 
Christian  effort  and  to  issue  the  Manual  which  is 
here  submitted. 

These  men  have  not  been  indifferent,  during  the 
intervening  period,  to  the  importance  of  producing  at 
this  time  the  wisest  possible  utterance  upon  this  prob- 
lem. Then  again  there  must  be  recognized  the 
strength  of  the  report  of  the  Committee  upon  Obser- 
vation and  Recommendation,  of  which  the  Rev.  W.  C. 
Bitting,  D.D.,  of  St.  Louis,  was  chairman,  which  is 
included  in  this  volume.  This  committee  was  not 
selected  by  the  officers  of  the  Congress  but  was  named 
by  the  different  denominational  groups  after  the 
assembling  of  the  delegates.  It  then  approached  its 
task  with  an  open  mind  and  a free  heart. 

In  view  of  these  facts  the  Manual  comes  to  those 
interested  in  Christian  cooperation  with  augmented 
force  and  will  be  accepted  as  the  first  standard  state- 
ment of  the  best-known  principles  and  methods  of 
church  cooperation  or  federation.  Surely  no  idle 
dreams  are  to  be  found  in  this  book. 

In  the  second  place  the  Manual  is  noteworthy  for 
its  patience  and  freedom  from  censure  of  any  group  of 
churches,  individual  churches,  allied  Christian  organ- 


INTRODUCTION 


izations,  or  individual  Christians  who  may  not  see 
their  way  clear  to  unite  at  once  in  such  a program  in 
part  or  in  its  entirety.  The  Congress  was  truly  pro- 
phetic and  progressive.  Many  who  participated  be- 
lieve strongly  in  a larger  organic  unity  of  the  churches 
as  an  ultimate  goal  but  while  this  was  true  not  one 
word  was  spoken  or  not  one  line  appears  as  an  indict- 
ment of  sincere  denominational  leaders.  All  believed 
that  segregated  sectarianism  is  dead  and  that  its 
further  exploitation  is  a menace  to  the  kingdom  of 
God.  They  also  found  sympathy  with  the  expression 
in  the  address  by  the  Rev.  James  E.  Freeman,  rector 
of  St.  Mark’s  Church,  Minneapolis,  when  he  said,  “An 
isolated  church  eventually  becomes  an  insolent 
church.” 

The  Manual  leaves  to  others  the  wider  considera- 
tion of  organic  revision  and  gives  itself  to  suggestions 
as  to  the  best  methods  by  which  the  churches  may 
immediately  unite  upon  the  tasks  which  must  remain 
neglected  unless  there  is  such  cooperation,  believing, 
too,  that  whatever  may  be  the  future  readjustments 
looking  toward  organic  unity  they  must  be  based  upon 
the  practise  of  service  together  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  rather  than  upon  the  efficiency  of  omnibus 
legislation.  Widespread  organic  union  may  be  possi- 
ble in  the  remote  future ; cooperation  is  a present 
possibility. 

The  same  spirit  of  generous  forbearance  was  mani- 
fested in  the  Congress  and  reflects  itself  in  the  book 
upon  the  scope  of  the  program  to  be  undertaken  by 
such  committees  or  federations. 

Here  once  more  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  pro- 
gressive character  of  the  utterances.  All  believe  that 
the  church  is  in  some  fashion  related  to  everything 


XI 


THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


that  has  to  do  with  the  weal  of  folk  here  as  well  as 
hereafter,  but  no  sharp  criticism  is  heard  of  those  who 
are  very  solicitous  for  the  protection  of  the  funda- 
mental spiritual  duty  of  the  church.  All  welcome  this 
form  of  cooperative  Christian  effort  because  it  makes 
possible  the  accomplishment  in  the  community  of 
these  more  recently  recognized  responsibilities  with- 
out violating  any  of  the  principles  of  those  who  hold 
the  most  sacred  view  of  the  function  of  the  Church, 

This  sentiment  can  perhaps  best  be  summarized 
by  saying  that  the  consensus  of  opinion  was  that  in 
every  community  such  an  organization  ought  to  be 
created  and  sustained  inviting  all  Christian  churches 
and  organizations  to  participate.  Kindly  feelings 
ought  to  be  maintained  toward  any  who  may  not  at 
once  unite,  and  the  door  should  be  kept  open  for  others 
to  join  without  embarrassment  as  they  may  be  led  by 
later  developments. 

In  the  third  place  the  Congress,  the  Manual,  and 
the  Commission  upon  Inter-church  Federations  owe 
much  to  other  forms  of  Christian  expression  and  expe- 
rience upon  w'hich  this  advance  step  has  been  taken. 
Among  these  may  be  noted  such  organizations  as  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  Young  Women’s 
Christian  Association,  the  International  Sunday 
School  Association,  the  Sunday  School  Council  of 
Evangelical  Denominations,  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  the  United  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement,  and  the 
Missionary  Education  Movement.  All  have  given 
convincing  testimony  to  the  possibility  and  added 
value  of  the  results  of  common  efforts  on  common 
and  special  tasks.  They  have  taken  away  the  last  de- 
fense of  close  sectarianism.  Added  to  these  are  the 

xii 


INTRODUCTION 


two  supreme  manifestations  of  cooperation  in  the  For- 
eign Missions  Conference  of  North  America  and  the 
Home  Missions  Council.  These  national  and  world- 
wide methods  of  unity,  comity,  and  cooperation  are 
becoming  the  most  powerful  and  convincing  forces  in 
Christendom  to  voice  the  imperative  demand  that  the 
way  to  usher  in  the  kingdom  of  God  is  by  binding  the 
interested  organizations  and  agencies  together.  Then 
there  is  the  Federal  Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ 
in  America  itself,  uniting  thirty  Protestant  bodies  in 
practical  vital  service.  Added  to  these  there  is  an  un- 
answerable asset  in  the  splendid  results  of  the  feder- 
ated work  being  done  by  the  churches  in  many  cities 
and  several  states.  These  are  the  dynamic  by  which 
the  Congress  moved,  by  which  the  Manual  is  written 
and  released,  and  by  which  the  Commission  on  Inter- 
church Federations  goes  forward  with  its  task. 

In  the  fourth  place,  by  far  the  most  impressive 
element  in  the  work  of  the  various  commissions  pre- 
paring the  reports  and  in  the  Congress  itself  was  the 
overwhelming  conviction  that  interchurch  commit- 
tees, councils,  or  federations  are  an  absolute  necessity 
in  the  life  of  the  churches  in  the  communities,  cities, 
and  towns  everywhere.  Whatever  differences  there 
may  have  been  about  the  details  of  the  program  to  be 
recommended,  not  one  voice  has  been  heard  in  other 
than  ringing  declaration  that  notwithstanding  all  the 
committees  now  in  the  local  church  and  all  the  kin- 
dred organizations  for  special  tasks,  a church  federa- 
tion of  some  form  is  fundamental  to  the  complete 
success  of  these. 

This  is  apparent  in  the  name  of  goodwill.  The 
church  cannot  afford  to  carry  a handicap  of  any  sort 
into  the  next  ten  years  or  quarter  of  a century.  The 

xiii 


THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 


man  on  the  street  takes  delight  in  saying  that  the 
churches  are  divided  and  fighting  one  another.  A fed- 
eration stops  his  caviling  tongue.  Such  an  organiza- 
tion and  work  is  necessary  because  the  acid  test  of 
success  in  modern  times  is  not  the  growth  in  member- 
ship or  property  value  of  any  church  in  any  com- 
munity but  rather  the  affirmative  answer  to  the  ques- 
tions: Is  the  kingdom  of  God  advancing?  Is  the 
place  becoming  a better  one  in  which  to  live?  Is 
drunkenness  decreasing?  Are  dishonesty  and  graft 
lessening?  Is  vice  being  eliminated?  Are  people  liv- 
ing a better  and  a happier  life?  The  world’s  court, 
composed  of  those  who  love  humanity,  refuses  to  be 
befuddled  longer  by  the  denominational  statistician 
and  wants  these  major  questions  met  and  answered 
by  the  church. 

These  questions  point  to  what  are  in  most  part 
community  tasks  which  can  only  be  adequately  dealt 
with  by  combined  effort.  Good  is  persistently  crushed 
to  earth ; it  rises  again.  But  evil  is  persistent  too,  and 
the  devil  never  sleeps.  The  church  needs  a moral  vigi- 
lance committee  which  is  always  on  duty  and  ready 
for  call  on  a few  hours’  notice,  when  there  appears  to 
be  a break  in  the  morality  of  the  community.  A fed- 
eration may  be  this. 

Such  a federation  is  indispensable  if  the  church  is 
to  meet  the  spiritual  and  moral  issues  of  the  new 
world  order.  The  great  war  will  make  everything 
different.  There  will  be  a new  economic,  political, 
and  social  order.  This  is  everywhere  conceded.  And 
just  so  surely  will  there  also  be  a new  religious  order. 
New  questions  are  to  be  asked  at  the  door  of  the 
church  and  most  prominent  among  them  will  be  this: 
“Have  you  a doctrine  powerful  enough  to  influence 

xiv 


INTRODUCTION 


international  affairs?”  If  the  answer  is  vagxie,  eva- 
sive, indifferent,  or  negative,  the  church  is  doomed  to  a 
small  place  in  the  reconstruction  of  that  world  order. 
That  the  gospel  has  power  in  the  individual  life,  there 
is  ample  evidence.  Likewise  its  leaven  in  certain  rela- 
tions of  the  community  is  fairly  well  vindicated.  Out 
of  it  is  to  come  the  universal  hope.  It  has  now  to 
prove  that  its  compelling  dynamic  can  sway  the  parlia- 
ments and  the  throne  rooms.  Unrelated  denomina- 
tionalism  will  be  worse  than  a joke  in  such  an  hour. 
It  will  be  a tragedy  and  a crime.  That  the  impact 
of  Christianity  may  be  felt  in  these  great  forums  of 
the  world’s  search  for  a permanent  peace  and  unbroken 
brotherhood,  a federation  of  churches  of  some  kind  is 
necessary  from  the  smallest  village  to  the  greatest 
city,  and  from  these  to  the  Christian  bodies  of  the 
nations  of  the  world. 

Thus  we  understand  better  the  working  of  the 
mind  of  the  great  Gladstone,  as  he  is  quoted  in  Dr. 
Ashworth’s  book.  The  Union  of  the  Christian  Forces: 
“To  effect  one  real  step  in  the  direction  of  reunion, 
after  the  results  of  the  last  five  centuries,  would  be 
enough  to  lead  any  man  to  die  contentedly.”  For  the 
consummation  of  this  task  the  Congress  was  held  and 
this  Manual  is  prayerfully  sent  forth. 

Fred  B.  Smith 


XV 


THE  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON 
OBSERVATION  AND  RECOM- 
MENDATIONS 

The  Congress  was  composed  of  506  delegates  from 
134  towns  and  cities  in  36  states,  representing  31  re- 
ligious bodies.  The  members  of  the  Congress  are  con- 
nected with  local  federations,  and  with  numerous 
general  agencies  for  the  promotion  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  The  meetings  were  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of 
seriousness,  fraternity,  devotion,  and  enthusiasm  for 
the  triumph  of  Christian  ideals.  The  sessions  were 
characterized  by  dignity,  businesslike  procedure, 
frankness  in  the  expression  of  opinion,  and  brotherly 
love.  All  these  features  of  the  Congress  are  evidences 
of  the  guidance  and  dominance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Purposes  of  the  Congress 

The  delegates  to  this  Congress  represented  the 
Commission  on  Inter-church  Federations  of  the  Fed- 
eral Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America  and 
were  from 

I.  State,  county,  and  local  federations. 

II.  Ministerial  associations. 

III.  Constituent  Bodies  of  the  Federal  Council  of 
the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America. 

Editor’s  Note — The  Pittsburgh  Congress  marks  a definite 
stage  in  the  progress  of  Christian  cooperation.  At  the  opening 
session  each  of  the  denominational  groups  elected  a committee- 
man from  their  number  to  carefully  review  the  reports  pre- 
sented, listen  to  the  discussions,  and  interpret  the  purpose,  spirit, 
and  actions  of  the  Congress. 

The  accompanying  statement  conveys  the  deep  impression 
which  was  made  upon  those  who  were  present.  Still  more  it 
points  the  way  to  the  realization  in  every  community  of  the 
splendid  hopes  which  brought  the  delegates  together  from  all 
parts  of  the  United  States. 


I 


2 THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


IV.  Executive  Committee  of  the  Federal  Council. 

V.  Commissioners  of  the  Federal  Council. 

VI.  Organizations  engaged  in  interdenominational 
and  undenominational  Christian  work. 

VII.  Members  of  the  Men  and  Religion  Forward 
Movement  teams. 

VIII.  Individuals  especially  interested  in  interchurch 
work. 

The  discussions  were  based  upon  reports  of  sub- 
commissions on  the  following  topics 

Church  Comity. 

Community  Evangelism. 

Home  and  Foreign  Missions. 

Social  Service. 

Religious  Education. 

International  Justice  and  Goodwill. 

Religious  Publicity. 

Principles  and  Methods  of  Organization. 

Special  Report  on  War-time,  Local,  Inter-church 
Work. 

The  purposes  of  the  Congress  were : 

I.  To  recognize  the  increasing  need  of  cooperation, 
felt  in  all  communities  and  denominations. 

II.  To  assemble  the  evidence  that  this  cooperation 
is  actually  taking  place,  either  with  or  without  promo- 
tive or  directive  effort.  Throughout  the  land  ministers 
are  meeting  together,  and  Christians  are  praying  and 
working  together.  Thirty-one  cities  now  have  feder- 
ations of  churches  with  salaried  executives.  A new 
function  has  been  created  in  the  service  of  paid  secre- 
taries of  local  federations. 

III.  To  interpret  the  relation  of  this  spirit  of  co- 
operation to  the  outstanding  activities  of  the  churches 


OBSERVATION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS 


3 


locally  and  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  throughout  the  world. 

IV.  To  consider  seriously  the  opportunities  and 
the  duties  which  compel  cooperation  and  the  deepen- 
ing of  the  spirit  of  oneness  in  the  tremendous  emer- 
gency created  by  the  war.  The  necessity  for  the  union 
of  all  Christian  energies,  though  it  was  felt  in  the 
vision  of  the  normal  tasks  of  the  churches  before  the 
war,  has  been  acutely  emphasized  by  the  colossal 
struggle  in  which  we  are  now  engaged. 

V.  To  assemble,  digest,  and  put  into  accessible 
form  for  use  everywhere,  a record  of  the  experiences 
of  those  who  have  been  engaged  in  cooperative  work 
in  their  several  communities. 

Perspective  of  the  Congress 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Congress  was 
no  new,  sudden,  nor  hurried  gathering  made  under 
stress  of  the  needs  and  dangers  brought  to  light  by 
the  war.  Behind  the  meeting  is  a long  history.  For 
many  years  evangelical  alliances,  composed  of  pas- 
tors in  many  centers,  have  been  considering  their 
common  problems.  The  church  federation  idea  has 
been  slowly  but  continuously  unfolding  until  it  has 
expressed  itself  in  many  ways,  religious,  philanthropic, 
educational,  missionary,  and  civic.  The  unifying 
grace  of  love  for  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  been  fusing 
hearts,  bringing  varieties  of  vision  to  a common  focus, 
and  organizing  scattered  energies  for  the  achievement 
of  purposes  cherished  with  equal  enthusiasm  by  all 
true  followers  of  the  Master. 

The  Commissions  whose  reports  have  been  pre- 
sented, with  the  exception  of  that  on  “War-time  Inter- 


4 


THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


church  Work/’  were  appointed  nearly  a year  ago. 
The  gathering  was  but  a climax  to  a series  of  expres- 
sions of  the  desire  of  all  who  love  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  believe  that  its  dominance  in  human  affairs  is  the 
only  salvation  for  the  world,  to  join  their  resources  in 
the  mighty  effort  to  enthrone  Jesus  Christ  as  King 
over  human  life. 

This  movement  has  slowly  extended  into  states, 
cities,  counties,  and  rural  districts.  It  has  found  it- 
self in  the  establishment  of  numerous  local  federa- 
tions, and  where,  because  of  financial  limitations, 
their  formation  seemed  impossible,  it  has  appeared  in 
the  growth  of  the  spirit  of  unity,  and  in  efforts  by 
neighboring  churches  to  share  their  common  tasks, 
as  far  as  was  possible  under  existing  conditions. 

At  this  hour  the  war  has  stimulated  the  conscious- 
ness of  the  need  keenly  felt  alike  by  all  Christians. 
The  Red  Cross  movement,  the  calls  of  hunger  from 
lands  across  the  sea,  the  cry  of  nakedness  for  cloth- 
ing, of  sickness  for  ministration,  of  bereavement,  pov- 
erty, and  pain  of  many  kinds  for  human  sympathy, 
appeal  to  Christians  with  even  more  power  than  to 
those  who  make  no  profession  of  discipleship  to  our 
Lord.  Again,  from  our  homes  and  churches  have  gone 
thousands  of  the  flower  of  our  young  manhood  to 
fight,  and  hundreds  of  the  most  beautiful  spirits  of 
our  3''oung  womanhood  to  serve  in  the  sweet  ministry 
of  nursing. 

Moreover,  the  utter  subversion  of  ideals  of  broth- 
erhood by  the  tragedy  of  war  has  served  to  develop 
keenly  a new  appreciation  of  the  fraternity  contem- 
plated by  our  Master.  Thus  the  appeal  of  human 
need,  the  experience  of  sacrifice  in  the  gift  of  our  own 
youth  to  a great  cause,  and  the  quickened  sense  of  fra- 


OBSERVATION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS 


5 


ternity  have  conspired  to  stimulate  in  our  churches 
the  desire  for  unity  in  Christian  service.  With  this 
has  come  the  deepened  conviction  that  hesitation  in 
its  practical  expression  would  be  sinful  in  the  sight 
of  God.  Is  the  isolated  church  able  to  meet  these 
demands?  The  answer  is  patent.  Only  the  united 
resources  of  the  churches  can  make  adequate  response. 

Furthermore,  the  program  of  the  church  for  its 
future  is  vitally  involved.  Changed  conditions  are  in- 
evitable after  the  war.  Undoubtedly,  in  many  re- 
spects, the  altered  situation  will  be  startling.  We 
must  face  the  revolutionary  nature  of  the  forces  that 
are  now  at  work.  Who  dreams  that  the  millions  of 
young  men  and  women  who  will  unflinchingly  face  the 
struggle,  who  have  answered  the  call  for  self-giving  to 
the  uttermost,  who  will  grow  wiser  by  virtue  of  inter- 
national contacts,  who  will  catch  world  visions  be- 
cause of  their  expanded  experiences,  can  return  to 
their  homes  unchanged  by  the  tremendous  events  in 
which  they  are  participating?  Either  the  church  must 
meet  the  issues  of  the  times,  or  our  transformed  youth 
will  bring  back  from  their  martial  schooling  contempt 
for  an  easy  life  of  conventional  religious  activities 
that  merely  mark  time,  for  energies  without  objective, 
and  for  a spirit  that  shrinks  from  gripping  the  mighti- 
est tasks  in  the  full  confidence  of  victory. 

These  heroes  and  heroines  will  have  spheres  and 
places  of  influence  all  over  our  land,  as  with  glad 
hearts  we,  who  unfortunately  have  been  prevented 
from  sharing  their  activity,  welcome  those  who  may 
be  permitted  to  return.  It  is  inevitable  that  they  will 
bring  with  them  ideals,  convictions,  visions,  and  meth- 
ods which  will  either  transform  the  communities  to 
which  they  belong,  or  will  force  them  to  abandon 


6 


THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


connection  with  communions  and  institutions  that  fail 
to  respond  to  the  development  that  they  have  experi- 
enced. It  is  a time  for  calm  and  hopeful  consideration 
of  the  situation,  for  undisturbed  confidence  in  the  out- 
come, and  for  the  wisest  efforts  to  anticipate  the  in- 
escapable results  of  the  war  upon  life  throughout  our 
land  and  the  world. 

The  Congress  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  its  at- 
mosphere of  serene  faith  in  God  and  the  finality  of 
the  ideals  of  Jesus.  It  was  marked  by  the  absence  of 
any  manifestation  of  fear  or  panic  in  facing  the  future. 
We  belong  to  the  church  of  the  Living  God,  and 
where  he  leads  through  his  providences,  we  dare  to 
follow  fearlessly. 

Ideals  of  Federation 

It  is  important  that  we  keep  clearly  before  us, 
without  confusion,  the  ideals  of  federation.  Without 
doubt  there  are  many  earnest  Christians  who  fear  the 
word  and  the  idea.  They  imagine  that  its  purpose 
is  to  annihilate  denominations,  to  foster  indifference 
to  venerated  church  traditions,  to  slacken  the  grip  of 
religious  conviction  upon  the  human  heart,  to  com- 
promise adherence  to  standards  of  faith,  or  to  cause 
the  strong  colors  of  church  banners  to  fade  into  the 
neutral  grey  of  indifference  to  truth.  All  these  fears 
are  groundless.  Those  who  composed  the  Congress 
are  learning  the  royal  grace  of  love  for  one  another, 
and  the  fraternal  virtue  of  serving  with  one  another, 
with  no  abatement  whatsoever  of  attachment  to  the 
several  groups  of  Christians  with  which  they  are  con- 
nected. 

Neither  the  Congress  nor  any  federation  has  au- 


OBSERVATION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS 


7 


thority  of  any  kind  over  any  denomination  or  local 
church.  Federation  is  not  a disturber  of  theological 
standards  or  church  usages.  We  must  all  be  free  to 
express  our  convictions  of  truth.  Federation  does  not 
set  aside  any  activities  now  in  use,  nor  would  it 
modify  such  agencies  as  have  been  found  efficient  in 
Christian  service.  It  does  not  propose  to  ignore  any 
worthy  Christian  movement.  It  is  comprehensive,  not 
exclusive ; it  is  all-including,  not  selective.  Every 
ecclesiastical,  missionary,  philanthropic,  educational, 
and  social  agency  that  has  demonstrated  its  worth- 
fulness,  is  gladly  welcomed  into  the  combination  of 
forces  that  seek  to  glorify  God  by  the  enthronement 
of  the  spirit  of  Christ  in  human  life. 

Federation  must  be  honest,  and  has  no  wish  to 
claim  credit  for  work  it  does  not  do.  It  does  not  aim 
to  create  new  instruments,  nor  to  build  institutions  in 
rivalry  of  those  now  effective,  nor  will  it  violate  Chris- 
tian economy  by  the  attempt  to  duplicate  existing  ma- 
chinery. It  seeks  rather  to  promote  the  spirit  of 
cooperation  between  organizations  already  existing, 
to  correlate  forces  now  productive,  and  to  foster  a con- 
servation that  will  prevent  waste  of  time,  energy,  and 
money,  and  abolish  frictions,  jealousies,  and  unseemly 
strife. 

In  short,  federation  aims  to  unify  existing  Chris- 
tian forces  for  the  service  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Therefore,  the  cause  of  federation  is  not  to  be  ad- 
vanced by  shallow  denunciation  of  denominational 
loyalty,  but  by  deepening  the  sense  of  loyalty  to  all 
that  is  best  in  denominational  history  and  effort.  No 
strong  combination  can  be  made  of  weak  units.  The 
body  of  Jesus  Christ  demands  the  full  strength  of 


8 


THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


every  part.  It  will  be  efficient  by  virtue  of  that  which 
every  joint  supplies. 

What  Federation  is  Doing 

The  reports  of  all  commissions  were  prepared  by 
experts.  The  volume  containing  the  proceedings  of 
the  Congress  will  contain  the  best  experiences  of  effi- 
cient workers  in  their  several  spheres.  It  will  give 
the  results  of  federated  service,  and  will  make  sug- 
gestions which  each  locality  can  use  as  its  peculiar 
circumstances  indicate.  Experience  has  demonstrated 
that  the  most  important  activities  of  churches  become 
more  effective  through  federation.  We  call  upon  the 
members  of  the  Congress  and  Christians  everywhere 
to  promote  the  distribution  of  the  volume  in  the  inter- 
est of  Christian  achievement. 

The  reports  agree  in  some  important  features: 

I.  The  necessity  of  intelligent  and  consecrated 
leadership.  Never  so  much  as  now  did  the  interests 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  depend  upon  the  vision,  enthu- 
siasm, wide-mindedness,  and  sacrificial  devotion  of 
pastors.  As  never  before  we  are  experiencing  and 
rejoicing  in  the  increasing  activity  of  devoted  laymen, 
some  of  whom  are  known  throughout  the  world  be- 
cause of  their  remarkable  service. 

II.  The  necessity  of  using  all  the  resources  of  the 
local  churches.  Laymen  with  their  acute  sense  of 
conditions,  and  their  fruitful  inventiveness  in  mas- 
tering these  must  be  enlisted  more  generally  than  ever 
before.  The  limitless  power  of  consecrated  woman- 
hood is  more  appreciated  than  ever.  Woman’s  loving 
heart,  her  sacrificial  spirit,  her  busy  fingers,  her  tire- 


OBSERVATION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS 


9 


less  body,  her  gracious  influences,  must  be  increas- 
ingly utilized. 

III.  The  vanity  of  isolated  effort  to  meet  the  tre- 
mendous needs  that  are  upon  us.  This  will  intensify 
the  problems  of  the  changed  conditions  we  are  shortly 
to  face.  Shall  the  church  of  God  in  a given  territory 
be  an  archipelago,  the  shores  of  whose  islands  are 
beaten  by  the  surf  of  a separating  sea?  Shall  love  for 
Christ,  shown  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  service  to  men, 
build  isthmuses  that  change  this  dividing  ocean  into 
peaceful  lagoons  over  which  the  commerce  of  fra- 
ternity and  united  service  shall  ply,  and  realize  the 
prophecy,  “And  the  sea  is  no  more”?  Shall  the  conti- 
nental spirit  of  united  loyalty  to  Christ  displace  the 
insular  pride  of  separatism  ? 

IV.  The  desirability  of  the  cooperation  of  local 
churches  and  church  federations  with  general  public 
movements  whose  activities  are  related  to  the  king- 
dom of  God.  So  far  as  the  spirit  of  service  has  been 
institutionalized  by  public  agencies,  we  should  cor- 
dially join  with  them.  Local  civic  movements  for 
community  betterment,  or  for  participation  in  nation- 
wide moral  ideals  often  stand  for  the  very  things  the 
churches  should  represent.  When  citizens  of  a com- 
munity unite  to  uplift  localities  and  the  world,  those 
who  belong  to  the  Christian  order  of  life  should  share 
their  ideals.  Our  citizenship  is  in  heaven,  but  this 
does  not  mean  that  we  shall  ignore  the  earth.  It 
means  that  we  shall  heavenize  the  world. 

Recom  m endations 

We  recommend ; 

I.  That  all  churches  support  more  generously  than 


10  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


ever  their  own  local  work,  and  the  missionary,  philan- 
thropic, and  educational  interests  with  which  they  are 
identified.  These  normal  and  fundamental  activities 
of  Christianity  must  not  suffer  because  of  the  unusual 
strain  of  war  conditions.  Strength  here  must  be  pre- 
served and  increased  if  the  churches  are  to  meet  the 
imperative  needs  that  will  exist  when  the  war  is  over. 

II.  That  the  widest  possible  publicity  be  given  by 
the  religious  and  secular  press  to  this  statement  con- 
cerning the  meeting  and  purposes  of  the  Congress. 

III.  That  the  proceedings  of  the  Congress  contain- 
ing the  reports  of  the  sub-commissions  be  placed  in 
every  community  of  our  land.  No  Christian  in  the 
United  States  should  be  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
ideals  and  methods  of  work  presented  in  the  reports. 

IV.  That  the  Federal  Council  of  the  Churches  of 
Christ  in  America  issue  to  such  organizations  as  may 
desire  them  reprints  of  reports,  at  the  expense  of  those 
organizations. 

V.  That  all  communities  that  can  form  federations 
do  so  and,  if  there  is  financial  ability,  employ  execu- 
tive secretaries  who  shall  seek  to  promote  the  ideals 
of  federation  herein  stated.  If  financial  conditions  do 
not  permit  salaried  executive  secretaries  we  advise 
that  federation  affairs  be  administered  by  councils 
composed  of  representatives  of  all  participating 
churches,  through  administrative  committees  of  a few 
carefully  selected  and  competent  men. 

VI.  That  state  federations  be  formed,  wherever 
they  do  not  now  exist,  and  that  they,  and  strong  city 
or  town  federations,  shall  seek  to  promote  the  partici- 
pation of  the  churches  of  all  communities  in  the  ideals 
pf  federation. 

VI,I-  Th^t  in  communities  where  there  are  as  few 


OBSERVATION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS  n 


as  only  two  churches,  these  give  expression  to  their 
sense  of  loyalty  to  Jesus  Christ  by  their  united  inter- 
est in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their  neighborhood  and 
of  our  country.  “Where  two  or  three  are  gathered 
together  in  my  name” — unto  the  realization  of  my 
nature  in  its  fellowship  with  God,  and  its  redemptive 
service  to  men — “there  am  I in  the  midst  of  them.” 
The  presence  of  Jesus  is  here  socially  conditioned 
upon  our  participation  with  others  in  aspiration  to 
share  his  spirit.  This  is  as  true  of  unions  of  Christian 
groups  as  of  individual  disciples.  May  there  be 
throughout  our  land  this  gathering  together,  under 
the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may  experi- 
ence the  abiding  presence  of  the  Christ  who  has  prom- 
ised to  be  with  us  always  even  unto  the  end. 

William  C.  Bitting,  Chairman, 
Sanford  N.  Carpenter, 
William  C.  Covert, 

W.  H.  Fouke, 

W.  R.  Funk, 

Marion  Lawrance, 

Charles  F.  Rice, 

Charles  E.  Tebbetts, 

Ed.  S.  Travers, 

Herbert  L.  Willett, 

M.  P.  Boynton,  Secretary 


I 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMISSION 
ON  A DEPARTMENT  OF  INTER- 
CHURCH COMITY 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  COMITY. 


Cleveland,  Ohio 


Bomberger,  Rev.  J.  H.,  Chairman 

Editor  The  Christian  World 


Lervviston,  Maine 
Toledo,  Ohio 


Anthony,  Prof.  Alfred  Williams 
Armstrong,  Rev.  A.  H. 


Executive  Secretary,  Toledo  Federation  of  Churches 

Covert,  Rev.  W.  C.  Chicago,  111. 

Pastor,  First  Presbyterian  Churdi 

Green,  David  E.  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Myers,  Green  and  Keough,  Attorneys 

McAfee,  J.  E.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  Board  of  Home  Missions,  Presh3^eTian 
Church  in  the  U.  S.  A. 

Rice,  Rev.  Charles  F.  ^ West  Lynn,  Mass. 

Pastor,  South  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Churdi 

Wright,  Rev.  E.  R.  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Executive  Secretary,  Federated  Churches  of  Cleveland 

I.  Interchurch  Comity  Construed  and 
Characterized 

I,  The  spirit  of  interchurch  brotherliness  is  the 
essential  prerequisite  to  all  real  cooperation.  Con- 
fronted as  the  church  of  Christ  is  to-day  by  world 
problems  of  immeasurable  complexity  and  signifi- 
cance, calling  urgently  for  solution,  there  has  come  to 
prevail  a feeling  of  almost  contemptuous  impatience 
with  all  inclination  to  thrust  the  petty  and  inconse- 
quential to  the  fore  by  undue  insistence  upon  ques- 
tions of  form  and  method  and  nomenclature.  This 


13 


14  the  manual  of  inter-church  work 


rapidly  spreading  spirit  of  oneness  finds  expression  in 
the  increasing  interdenominational  mingling  of  Chris- 
tians for  whom  the  conception  of  a world-wide,  Christ- 
dominated  brotherhood  has  come  to  have  supreme 
attractiveness. 

2.  But  interchurch  comity  is  not  merely  a fraternal 
sentiment  but  also  a constructive  force.  While  in  the 
one  aspect  it  is  the  specific  solvent  for  sectarian  asper- 
ities, thus  promoting  fellowship  among  the  members 
of  the  denominations,  this  is  but  the  starting-point. 
It  moves  on  and  up  from  these  first  principles  to  the 
working  out  of  a definite  program  of  constructive 
achievement.  And  this  cooperative  concentration  of 
the  churches  upon  their  common  task  promises  to  be 
the  supremely  effective  human  force,  in  the  hands  of 
Christ,  for  the  saving  of  the  nations  and  the  recon- 
struction of  society. 

.II.  The  Reaction  of  Applied  Comity  upon  the 
Church 

1.  By  no  means  the  least  valuable  result  of  this 
spreading  spirit  of  cordial  cooperation  among  the  de- 
nominations is  its  favorable  reaction  upon  the 
churches  themselves.  To  quote  Professor  Rauschen- 
busch : “The  more  we  mingle  on  a basis  of  equality 
and  goodwill  and  practical  cooperation,  the  better  will 
the  assimilating  forces  of  the  common  spirit  of  Christ 
be  able  to  do  their  work,  silently  weeding  out  what  is 
non-Christian  and  obsolete.  Actual  fellowship  alone 
can  furnish  an  enduring  basis  for  any  efforts  at  formal 
union  which  will  be  made  by  us  or  our  children.” 

2.  Another  important  result  of  this  more  fully  real- 
ized and  more  firmly  established  unity  in  spirit  and 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


15 


in  effort  is  the  fact  that  churches  in  cordial  agreement 
are  more  effective  in  their  stand  against  entrenched 
evil.  This  finds  confirmation  in  the  outcome  of  their 
united  efforts  in  the  great  reform  movements  and  the 
work  of  civic  and  social  uplift. 

3.  Considered  from  an  economic  point  of  view  the 
application  of  the  spirit  of  comity  conserves  the  finan- 
cial resources  and  energy  of  the  church  by  the  avoid- 
ance of  waste  through  duplication  and  overlapping  of 
work. 

A bulletin  issued  by  the  Massachusetts  Federation  says: 
“An  investigation  of  the  one  hundred  smallest  towns  in 
Massachusetts,  classified  as  one-,  two-,  and  three-church  towns, 
has  demonstrated  that  the  per  capita  cost  to  members  and 
citizens  increases  out  of  proportion  to  the  results.  ...  We 
found  that  the  average  ministerial  salary  in  the  town  with  one 
church  was  $874;  in  the  two-church  town,  $687;  and  in  the 
three-church  town  only  $473.  . . . The  average  mission 
board  aid  required  in  the  one-churdh  town  was  $15;  in  the 
three-church  town,  $155,  or  ten  times  as  much.  ...  It  has 
been  said  that  rivalry  is  a stimulus,  and  that  competing  churches 
do  more  than  the  single  church.  Our  own  investigations  indi- 
cate that  the  gain  does  not  equal  the  loss.  The  average  mem- 
bership of  the  single  church  was  no;  of  the  churches  in  the 
two-church  town,  71 ; in  the  three-church  town,  51.” 

4.  The  denominations’  united  efforts  gain  material- 
ly by  the  release  of  their  forces  from  the  petty  neces- 
sity for  vigilance  against  mutual  aggression,  thus 
leaving  them  free  for  concentration  upon  the  great 
common  task. 

To  quote  again  from  the  bulletin  referred  to  in  the  pre- 
ceding paragraph:  “Ideally  the  church  is  the  social  unifier; 
practically,  in  many  places,  the  churches,  because  they  are 
several,  are  themselves  the  cause  of  faction  and  discord.  They 
may  not  intend  to  compete,  but  when  several  try  to  maintain 
themselves  in  a field  sufficient  for  only  one,  they  become  rivals 
in  spite  of  better  intentions.  Christians  are  separated  into 


i6  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


distinct  if  not  jealous  groups.  Their  very  purpose  to  build  up 
the  church  of  Christ  is  vitiated  by  .party  spirit  and  personal 
feeling.  They  are  tempted  to  seek  men  as  recruits  for  the 
institution.” 

Ill,  The  Impression  on  the  Community 

Another  invaluable  by-product  of  comity  exempli- 
fied in  interdenominational  life  and  activity  is  the 
happy  impression  made  upon  the  outlying  community. 

1.  The  reciprocal  influence  of  the  church  and  its 
community  is  most  marked  and  real. 

Dr.  Washington  Gladden  has  set  this  forth  in  the  following 
striking  sentences:  “It  is  impossible  to  segregate  the  church 
from  the  community.”  “The  very  function  of  the  church  is 
found  in  its  relation  to  its  community.”  “You  caimot  save 
the  church  from  decadence  unless  you  can  save  the  community 
from  deterioration.”  “If  the  churoh  is  not  to  the  community 
a savor  of  life  unto  life  the  community  will  be  to  the  church 
a savor  of  death  unto  death.”  “If  the  church  wishes  to  save 
itself  from  extinction  it  must  send  out  its  light  and  its  truth 
into  the  community.” 

2.  As  the  churches  confront  the  community  their 
only  irrefutable  apologetic  is  their  essential  oneness  in 
spirit  and  activity.  The  central  thought  of  Christ’s 
prayer  for  the  prevalence  of  unity  was  “that  the  world 
might  believe.”  When  the  community  which,  in  the 
past,  has  seen  the  hands  of  the  denominations  stretched 
forth  toward  each  other  with  questionable  if  not  sinis- 
ter design,  sees  them  clasped  in  brotherly  greeting  as 
they  heartily  cooperate  in  their  work,  it  becomes 
approachable  and  responsive. 

Therefore,  one  most  urgent  obligation  resting  upon 
the  churches  is  that  of  convincing  their  communities 
that  in  all  sincerity  and  singleness  of  aim  the  denomi- 
nations are  allies,  bound  closely  together  in  most 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


17 


cordial  agreement.  The  community  will  always  be 
melted  by  the  spectacle  “of  hearts  fused  together  in  the 
glow  of  a common  passion  for  a living  and  conquering 
Redeemer;  the  inspiration  of  a common  service  for 
humanity,”  And  this  is  the  very  essence  of  inter- 
church comity. 

IV.  The  Principle  of  Comity  as  Applied  in  State 
Work 

Applied  comity  in  the  State  Federation  seeks,  in  an 
advisory  way,  to  promote  the  spirit  of  interdenomina- 
tional cooperation,  and  to  increase  its  effectiveness,  by 
securing  a mutually  satisfactory  distribution  of  respon- 
sibility and  territory,  thus  eliminating  overlapping  and 
duplicated  activities. 

1.  A department  of  comity  is  appointed  composed 
of  officially  designated  representatives  of  the  cooperat- 
ing denominations.  In  some  instances  a minister  and  a 
layman  are  appointed  from  each  denomination.  De- 
nominational state  missionary  superintendents  are 
usually  members  of  this  committee. 

“The  California  Federation’s  Committee  is  made  up  of  the 
denominational  superintendents.  This  committee  meets  once  a 
month,  and  each  denominational  superintendent  brings  before 
the  committee  any  proposed  new  church  enterprises.  The  field 
in  which  the  new  enterprise  is  to  be  located  is  then  surveyed 
by  a subcommittee,  and  at  a subsequent  meeting  the  findings 
of  this  subcommittee  are  acted  on  by  the  committee  as  a 
whole.  All  of  the  churches  are  abiding  by  the  decisions 
reached.  This  method  applies  to  all  new  work.” 

2.  A general  policy  should  be  adopted  for  the  gui- 
dance of  the  Department  of  Comity  in  dealing  with 
specific  cases. 

The  Maine  Commission’s  “Seven  Principles”  afford 


i8  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


an  example  of  such  a policy.  They  are  in  brief  as 
follows : 

a.  No  community  in  which  any  denomination  has 
any  legitimate  claim  should  be  entered  by  any  other 
denomination  through  its  official  agencies  without  con- 
ferring with  the  denominations  having  such  claims. 

b.  A feeble  church  should  be  revived  if  possible 
rather  than  a rival  church  be  established. 

c.  The  preferences  of  the  community  should  be  re- 
garded. 

d.  The  denominations  having  churches  nearest  the 
community,  other  things  being  equal,  should  be  given 
first  claim. 

e.  There  should  be  no  interference  with  a denomi- 
nation having  already  begun  work  in  a community. 

f.  Temporary  suspension  of  work  by  a denomina- 
tion does  not  warrant  the  entrance  into  the  field  of 
other  denominations. 

g.  Questions  of  interpretation  of  these  principles 
should  be  referred  to  the  Commission. 

During  the  first  thirteen  years  fifty-one  cases  of  ad- 
justment or  adjudication  were  disposed  of.  One  of 
these  cases  so  uniquely  illustrates  the  possibilities  in 
the  application  of  this  comity  principle  as  to  deserve 
a place  here. 

“Two  new  settlements,  opened  in  the  wilderness  by  the 
development  oif  previously  unused  water-ipowers,  were  boom- 
ing like  Western  towns,  and  were  attractive  to  the  denominations 
for  self-expansion  and  aggrandizement.  Should  they  rush  in 
to  forestall  one  another  and  preempt  advantages?  The  Com- 
mission set  forth  a better,  a Christian  way.  By  agreement  one 
denomination,  the  Methodist,  was  given  exclusive  right  in  one 
of  these  new  settlements,  Rumford  Falls,  because  it  was  seen 
to  have  at  the  outset  the  best  prospects  of  immediate  success, 
owing  to  the  residence  there  of  wealthy  and  influential  mem- 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


19 


bers  of  that  church.  Later,  when  growth  warranted,  another 
denomination,  the  Baptist,  was  permitted  to  step  in,  subse- 
quently a third,  the  Congregational,  and  then  the  community 
was  declared  open  ground  for  any,  as  its  population  was  large 
enough  and  varied  enough  for  all.” 

3.  The  State  Federation  will  find  an  important 
field  for  the  application  of  comity  in  the  consolidation 
of  struggling  small  town,  village,  and  rural  churches. 
There  are  three  outstanding  types  of  this  community 
church. 

a.  The  uniting  of  several  congregations  in  a de- 
nominational church. 

“In  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  in  California,  twenty  Methodist 
Episcopal  Churches  and  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches,  South, 
have  been  brought  together  in  this  way  within  a recent  twelve 
months.  Weak,  competing  churches  have  become  a strong 
spiritual  force  in  the  community.  This  has  been  true  in  every 
one  of  these  cases.” 

The  following  “declaration”  from  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  tells  its  own  story. 

Joint  Declaration  of  Congregationalists  and  Methodists 

“Whereas  it  is  for  the  good  of  the  Kingdom  that  there 
be  one  strong  church  on  Oak  Hill  instead  of  two  or  more 
weak  ones,  . . . Therefore,  if  the  Covenant  Church  and  the 
Coral  Street  Methodist  Church  vote  to  unite  and  become  one 
Church,  the  Congregational  City  Missionary  Society  will  then 
deed  the  property  of  the  former  without  restrictions  for  the 
uses  of  the  united  congregation.” 

On  March  9,  1913,  the  union  was  consummated,  ninety 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church  being  received  into  'the 
new  “Covenant  Methodist  Church.” 

The  Baptist  City  Missionary  Society  ^has  followed  by  clos- 
ing its  mission  in  the  neighborhood  with  the  following  declara- 
tion: “Everywhere  our  denominational  fields  overlap.  This  is 
bad  economy  and  wasteful  religious  policy.  In  our  judgment 
a mission  should  be  located  only  in  a place  where  the  com- 
munity lacks  adequate  church  privileges.  The  Oak  Hill  Mis- 
sion is  not  so  located.  There  are  in  the  neighborhood  better 


20  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


equipped  churches.  . . . We  therefore  recommend  immedi- 
ate steps  to  dispose  of  the  Oak  Hill  property.” 

The  Comity  Department  of  one  of  the  State  Fed- 
erations says : ‘Tn  deciding  which  of  two  or  more 
churches  should  cease  to  exist  as  a distinct  organiza- 
tion, various  considerations  may  properly  enter  into 
the  discussion ; such  as  the  age  of  the  churches,  the 
number  of  members,  the  value  of  real  estate  and  en- 
dowments w'hich  they  may  hold,  the  situation  and 
character  of  the  church  buildings,  and  various  other 
conditions  which  may  be  even  more  important,  though 
not  capable  of  definite  formulation.  It  is  likely  that, 
in  the  course  of  years,  the  number  of  churches  of  dif- 
ferent denominations  which  would  thus  be  discon- 
tinued would  be  not  very  unequal,  so  that  the  propor- 
tional numbers  of  churches  and  members  in  different 
denominations  would  not  be  materially  changed ; but 
in  any  individual  case  the  welfare  of  the  particular 
community  is  of  more  consequence  than  the  equation 
of  denominational  statistics.” 

b.  The  uniting  of  the  community’s  churches  in  an 
undenominational  body.  This  is  the  familiar  “union 
church.” 

c.  The  combining  of  several  churches  in  a “fed- 
erated church,”  each  congregation  retaining  its  corpo- 
rate identity  and  denominational  connection.  This 
third  type  seems  to  be  finding  special  favor  in  a num- 
ber of  states. 

The  special  features  of  the  federated  church  are 
these : 

(1)  The  local  churches  agree  to  unite  as  one  con- 
gregation for  all  purposes  of  work  and  worship,  under 
one  pastor. 

(2)  To  carry  out  this  purpose,  each  appoints  a 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


21 


given  number  upon  a joint  committee  of  management. 
Sometimes  members  are  added  from  the  community. 
The  pastor  usually  is  chairman. 

(3)  Each  church  meets  by  itself  as  an  ecclesiastical 
body  to  transact  business  according  to  its  usages,  and 
reports  to  its  denomination  its  work  as  a member  of 
the  federated  church. 

(4)  Each  church  keeps  its  own  rolls,  and  new 
members  are  added  to  the  church  of  their  choice.  All 
are  members  of  the  federated  church. 

(5)  The  pastor  must  necessarily  have  ecclesiastical 
standing  in  some  body.  This,  however,  is  found  in 
practise  to  raise  no  difficulty. 

(6)  If  there  is  more  than  one  usable  house  of 
worship  they  may  be  used  in  turn,  or  one  devoted  to 
institutional  purposes,  or  some  of  them  sold. 

(7)  In  some  instances  this  agreement  holds  for  a 
specified  period.  It  may  be  considered  as  a step  to 
organic  union  in  a denominational  church. 

Note  these  cases  by  way  of  concrete  illustration:  “Several 
years  ago,  in  Northfield,  Ohio,  there  were  two  weak  churches, 
a Methodist  Episcopal  and  a Presbyterian.  In  order  to  save 
the  life  of  both,  federation  was  proposed,  and  agreed  upon. 
The  plan  has  worked  admirably.  The  local  organization  of 
each  is  continued.  There  is  no  cutting  loose  from  anything 
by  any  one.  No  official  in  either  church  lost  his  position,  but 
there  was  added  to  the  regular  organizations  an  executive  com- 
mittee of  which  each  church  elected  half  the  members  and  of 
which  the  pastor  is  chairman.  This  committee  has  charge  of 
all  business  that  affects  the  congregation  as  a whole.  Persons 
desiring  to  unite  with  the  church  elect  whether  they  will  be 
Methodists  or  Presbyterians,  and  are  received  according  to  the 
rules  of  the  denomination  which  they  choose.  The  order  of 
service  is  to  some  extent  a combination  of  the  two.  Benevolent 
offerings  are  either  divided  or  taken  separately,  as  the  people 
decide.” 


22  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


The  church  at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  is  an  interesting 
illustration  of  ithis  type  of  community  church,  as  are  a number 
of  others  scattered  through  that  state,  Connecticut,  Maine,  and 
other  states. 

The  Connecticut  Federation  secretary  reports:  “We  held 
a conference  with  the  Home  Missionary  Secretaries  of  'the 
Congregationalists  and  Baptists,  and  the  District  Superin- 
tendents of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  our  territory, 
for  the  purpose  of  definite  consideration  of  particular  towns 
and  villages  in  which  there  ought  to  be  some  union  of  churches 
effected.  The  conference  was  an  exceedingly  cordial  and 
friendly  one,  and,  after  pretty  full  deliberation,  we  agreed 
upon  a list  of  seven  villages  where  the  number  of  churches  was 
obviously  too  large,  and  where  some  form  of  union  ought  to  be 
effected.  The  representatives  of  the  three  denominations  in 
question  were  in  cordial  sympathy  with  the  views  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Interdenominational  Comity.  Since  then,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  West  Hartland,  two  churches  have  been  practically 
brought  together  by  the  emplo3mient  of  a single  pastor,  though 
each  church  retains  its  ecclesiastical  organization.  A young 
man  who  had  just  been  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Congre- 
gjitional  Church  was  admitted  on  trial  to  the  New  York  East 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  ap- 
P(,iinted  by  the  Bishop  to  West  Hartland.  There  are  in  our 
stute  already  several  examples  of  churches  of  two  different 
denominations  which  have  agreed  to  employ  a single  pastor. 
This  mode  of  procedure  seems  likely  to  be  in  general  the  best 
plan  for  combining  two  or  more  churches,  when  the  hardness 
of  people’s  hearts  or  the  existence  of  some  endowment  funds 
makes  it  impossible  to  disband  one  of  the  churches  and  transfer 
its  members  to  a church  of  a different  denomination. 

Another  interesting  experiment,  in  a special  form  of  comity 
application,  has  been  made  by  the  Home  Missionary  Secretary 
of  the  Baptist  churches  in  the  state.  In  one  instance  at  least, 
a Baptist  church  has  taken  in  two  classes  of  members,  one 
class  of  regular  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  the  other  a 
class  to  which  the  name  of  federated  members  has  been  applied. 
These  federated  members  do  not  submit  'to  rebaptism,  but  are 
admitted  to  the  communion  and  have  all  the  privileges  of 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


23 


church-membership.  If  they  leave  town,  they  receive  certificates 
of  their  status  as  federated  members,  and  any  church  which 
they  may  be  disposed  to  join  will  use  its  own  judgment  as  to 
the  acceptance  of  such  certificates.  The  plan  is  reported  as 
working  very  satisfactorily  in  the  place  in  which  it  has  been 
tried.” 

State  federations  should  prepare  lists  of  ministers 
and  theological  students  adapted  to  and  available  for 
this  important  work  in  community  churches,  and  they 
should  also  make  a careful  study  of  the  conditions 
prevailing  in  any  community  before  introducing  this 
plan. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  the  rapid  spread  of  com- 
munity churches,  as  this  type  of  organization  gives 
promise  of  enlarged  church-membership,  spiritual 
strength,  and  a new  social  vision  to  overchurched 
towns  and  villages. 

4.  The  Department  of  Comity  can  in  many  in- 
stances secure  excellent  results  by  effecting  a recipro- 
cal exchange  of  communities  and  locations  by  the 
denominations.  Each  agrees  to  relinquish  its  holdings 
in  a certain  locality  with  the  understanding  that  it  is 
to  have  exclusive  occupancy,  so  far  as  the  churches  of 
the  Federation  are  concerned,  of  some  other  commu- 
nity. 

The  procedure  in  arranging  this  exchange  is  as 
follows : 

a.  Denominations  report  to  the  department  towns  in 
which  such  union  by  exchange  may  be  desirable  and 
feasible. 

b.  The  department  considers  the  local  conditions, 
constituencies,  and  the  changes  proposed,  and,  where 
these  are  favorable,  an  equitable  mutual  surrender  of 


24  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


church  interests  in  the  several  fields  by  the  denomina- 
tions involved  is  arranged. 

c.  Emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  necessity  for  carefully 
safeguarding  the  interests  of  the  denominations,  and 
for  avoiding  the  awakening  of  local  prejudices. 

5.  By  general  agreement  specific  fields  may  be  as- 
signed to  certain  of  the  cooperating  denominations. 

The  California  Comity  Commission  proposes  the 
following  line  of  action  in  deciding  which  denomina- 
tion is  to  occupy  any  given  unoccupied  territory  in 
southern  California. 

a.  The  principle  of  proportionate  representation  is 
to  operate  as  follows ; Each  denomination  will  be  as- 
signed to  new  places  in  number  proportionate  to  its 
numerical  denominational  strength  in  southern  Cali- 
fornia. 

b.  Before  each  assignment  of  new  territory  a can- 
vass of  the  field  is  to  be  made  and  the  Commission 
will  take  into  consideration  the  denominational  pref- 
erence of  the  community  as  a factor  in  making  the 
assignment. 

c.  The  Commission  will  also  consider,  as  a factor 
in  making  its  decisions,  the  probable  preparedness 
of  any  denomination  to  do  the  work  in  a given  com- 
munity or  for  any  special  people. 

6.  Denominations  may  be  influenced  to  refrain 
from  taking  up  contemplated  new  work  in  over- 
churched communities. 

In  Cliftondale,  Massachusetts,  a small  town  of  2,683,  ^ 
Baptist  church  was  disbanded  some  years  ago,  leaving  the  field 
to  three  other  denominations.  Later  the  Baptist  Sunday  School 
Association  canvassed  the  community  with  a view  to  organizing 
a Baptist  church.  The  other  churches  brought  the  matter  to 
the  attention  of  the  State  Federation,  and  after  a conference 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


25 


with  the  Baptist  Home  Missionary  Society  and  Sunday  School 
Association  representatives,  the  latter  said:  “We  will  leave 
the  field  to  you  for  the  present  that  you  may  show  whether  the 
present  churches  can  meet  the  needs.” 

7.  Some  federations  urge  the  forming  of  a joint 
committee  of  the  churches  in  every  town  and  city  in 
order  that  the  spirit  of  comity  may  be  strengthened 
and  cooperation  be  cultivated. 

Massachusetts  has  a number  of  such  community 
federations  which,  while  independent,  look  to  the 
State  Federation  as  a clearing-house  for  the  exchange 
of  experience. 

8.  The  so-called  “country  church  problem”  may 
often  call  for  the  intervention  of  the  State  Comity 
Committee,  as  its  solution  is  frequently  found  in  the 
merging  of  several  neighborhood  open-country 
churches  into  one  large  parish  to  which  one  pastor  de- 
votes his  whole  time. 

9.  There  is  often  opportunity  for  promoting  comity 
and  consolidation  among  the  philanthropic  organiza- 
tions of  the  state.  Massachusetts  cites  the  merging 
of  the  Anti-Saloon  and  No-license  Leagues  in  illustra- 
tion of  this. 

TO.  State  Federations  may  render  a valuable  ser- 
vice by  investigating  the  legal  aspects  of  the  equity 
rights  of  local  churches  where  the  membership  has 
scattered,  or  the  body  has  become  identified  with  an- 
other denomination.  Maine  has  appointed  a commis- 
sion to  look  into  these  questions. 

V.  Interchurch  Comity  in  City  Federation  Work 

Some  of  the  most  successful  applications  of  the 
principle  of  comity  are  to  be  found  in  city  federations. 


26  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


In  theory  this  should  be  a branch  of  state  federation 
work.  In  actual  experience  a number  of  city  federa- 
tions have  been  organized  in  states  which  have  no 
state  federation,  and  have  secured  notable  results 
along  comity  lines. 

Many  of  the  problems  and  methods  of  work  of  the 
city  and  state  federations  are  similar.  But  the  large 
city  has  problems  peculiar  to  its  special  conditions 
which  can  be  worked  out  best  by  local  leaders.  A 
study  of  the  reports  of  methods  in  use  in  existing  city 
federations  in  dealing  with  comity  problems  yields  the 
following  suggestions: 

1.  The  Comity  Department  should  be  composed  of 
representatives  of  all  of  the  denominations  in  the  Fed- 
eration. As  in  state  work  denominational  city  mis- 
sionary officials  should  be  included  in  the  membership. 

One  Federation’s  constitution  provides  that  “The  Comity 
Committee  shall  consist  of  not  more  than  two  officers  each  from 
the  denominational  organizations  for  city  missions,  and  not 
more  than  two  representatives  each  from  denominations  not  so 
organized.  It  shall  undertake  to  bring  these  organizations  to- 
gether into  permanent  relation,  for  the  purposes  of  comity  in 
the  establishment  of  new  churches  and  in  the  evangelization  of 
the  foreign  populations  of  the  city.  It  shall  also  have  super- 
vision of  such  other  matters  of  comity  as  may  come  before  the 
federation.” 

2.  Emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  purely  advisory  char- 
acter of  the  deliverances  of  the  department.  Actual 
experience  demonstrates  that  while  these  deliverances 
take  the  form  of  fraternal  counsel  rather  than  of  au- 
thoritative enactments  they  come  to  have  the  weight 
of  the  latter  because  of  the  loss  of  prestige  of  denomi- 
nations or  congregations  disregarding  them. 

3.  Community  surveys  by  denominational  church 
extension  societies  or  city  missionary  organizations 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


27 


will  provide  data  upon  which  systematic  plans  for 
relating  the  several  denominations  to  this  work  can  be 
based. 

4.  A basis  of  agreement  with  regard  to  overlapping 
parishes,  the  location  of  new  churches,  and  the  re- 
location of  established  ones,  and  similar  questions,  is 
marked  out. 

One  plan  urges  that  no  new  churches  be  located  within  a 
third  of  a mile  of  established  churches  which  are  meeting  the 
needs  of  the  community.  Another  suggests  five  city  blocks  as 
the  limit.  In  all  cases  the  disposition  is  to  allow  a reasonable 
flexibility  in  interpreting  and  applying  these  rules. 

5.  Before  a denomination  or  missionary  organiza- 
tion commits  itself  to  the  choice  of  a new  location,  or 
a change  in  church  location,  the  matter  is  submitted 
to  the  Comity  Department  for  its  consideration. 

Numerous  instances  are  on  record  in  which  the 
original  plans  of  a denomination  or  congregation  have 
been  abandoned  when  the  Comity  Department  has 
withheld  its  endorsement,  or  advised  against  the 
selected  location  because  of  infringement  upon  the 
sphere  of  activity  of  some  other  church.  For  example, 
the  Indianapolis  Federation  reports  that  no  new 
church  or  mission  has  been  established  in  that  city 
in  the  last  four  years  by  denominations  included  in  the 
Church  Federation,  without  the  endorsement  of  the 
Federation  first  being  placed  upon  them. 

The  following  letter  recently  written  to  a city  fed- 
eration secretary  illustrates  this  readiness  to  accept 
the  Comity  Department’s  deliverances. 

“Dear  Brother : 

“The  First  Church,  formerly  located  at  Street 

and Avenue,  has  taken  an  option  on  a lot  just  west  of 

Street  and  Avenue.  We  have  decided  that  this  is  most 


28  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


central  for  our  people.  I have  talked  with  the  pastors  of  the 
churches  in  the  vicinity  and  personally  they  offer  no  objections 
to  our  locating  on  the  above  lot,  as  they  consider  that  our  work 
is  already  established  in  this  part  of  the  city  and  do  not  look 
upon  it  as  a new  church  enterprise  coming  in.  It  is  with  a de- 
sire for  the  maintenance  of  friendly  relations  with  the  neigh- 
boring churches  as  well  as  with  the  Association  of  the  Feder- 
ated Churches  that  we  submit  this  matter  for  the  consideration 
of  your  committee. 

(Signed  by  the  Pastor.)” 

In  line  with  this  we  quote  the  convincing  testi- 
mony of  the  Massachusetts  Federation,  i 

“The  Committee  recently  reviewed  more  than 
twenty  cases  that  have  been  brought  to  its  attention  in 
past  years,  and  wishes  to  bear  testimony  to  the  spirit 
of  increasing  cooperation  among  all  the  denominations 
connected  with  the  Federation  of  Churches.  A more 
sensitive  conscience  is  developing  in  our  churches, 
and  there  is  a healthy  response  to  the  suggestions  that 
may  be  made  through  the  Secretary  or  others,  in  the 
interests  of  closer  cooperation  for  the  work  of  the 
Kingdom.” 

In  concluding  these  gratifying  testimonies  to  the  short 
period  required  to  bring  about  a general  acceptance  of  this 
principle  of  comity  on  the  part  of  the  churches  of  a city  one 
more  report  is  quoted.  The  committee  says,  “So  thoroughly 
has  the  plan  [of  considering  the  claims  of  other  churches  in 
locating  new  enterprises]  been  established  that  it  is  now  prac- 
tically self-operative,  and  church  extension  societies  are  plan- 
ning their  new  enterprises  in  the  light  of  its  provisions,  so  as 
to  guard  against  possible  future  difficulties.  The  committee  has 
requested  that  all  proposed  new  mission  enterprises,  whether 
among  foreign-speaking  people  or  in  new  residence  communi- 
ties, he  reported  to  the  committee  and  laid  on  the  table  until  a 
subsequent  meeting,  so  as  to  allow  ample  time  for  objections 
from  any  one  of  the  denominations.” 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


29 


6.  The  Department  may  assist  congregations  in  re- 
ciprocal exchanges  of  location  where  this  is  desired 
because  of  the  removal  of  constituencies. 

A St.  Louis  church  of  the  family  type  found  its  constit- 
uency far  removed  from  its  down-town  location.  An  arrange- 
ment was  made  through  the  Comity  Committee  between  this 
and  a Methodist  church  for  the  exchange  of  their  buildings  and 
equipment,  and  each  established  itself  in  what  was  formerly 
the  other’s  territory. 

7.  In  the  earlier  stages  of  the  Federation’s  work 
the  committee  may  be  called  upon  to  adjust  conflict- 
ing interests  arising  from  the  rights  of  established 
congregations  being  threatened  by  the  encroachment 
of  new  enterprises.  The  ease  with  which  these  threat- 
ened violations  of  the  principle  of  ecclesiastical  cour- 
tesy can  be  harmonized  when  Christian  tact,  blended 
with  the  pressure  of  public  opinion,  is  applied  to  them, 
will  prove  reassuring.  As  the  work  progresses  such 
experiences  will  be  apt  to  become  few  and  far  between. 

A Cleveland  committee  report  says : “When  the  Congre- 
gational Union  recently  took  an  option  on  a Cleveland  Heights 
property  the  near-by  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  pastors  made 
a vigorous  protest  to  our  committee  on  the  ground  that  they 
had  been  diligently  developing  the  field  for  some  years,  and  had 
just  come  to  a point  of  self-support,  and  that  they  needed  the 
support  of  all  the  families  in  their  parishes.  In  a fine  spirit  of 
Christian  harmony  the  Congregationalists  surrendered  the 
option  and  made  plans  to  secure  a site  elsewhere.” 

8.  Because  the  special  work  done  among  the  city’s 
foreign  populations  by  the  denominations  sometimes 
develops  “overlapping”  problems,  intervention  by  the 
Department  is  occasionally  called  for. 

One  Federation  reports;  “Out  of  the  Comity  Committee’s 
work  has  come  a plan  to  hold  monthly  meetings  of  the  denomi- 
national missionary  superintendents,  which  has  disposed  of  a 
number  of  questions  that  ordinarily  would  have  been  taken  up 


30  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


by  the  committee  itself.  A booklet  has  been  prepared  showing 
the  composition  and  distribution  of  the  population  of  the  city 
which  will  be  extensively  used  by  the  denominational  mission- 
ary societies  in  planning  new  enterprises.” 

9.  The  strengthening  of  interchurch  bonds,  by  set- 
ting aside  an  annual  Interchurch  Sunday  on  which 
the  churches  of  the  Federation  arrange  for  inter- 
denominational pulpit  exchanges,  is  another  of  the 
gratifying  results. 

Points  for  Special  Emphasis 

1.  As  all  conditions  indicate  that  the  popular  senti- 
ment of  our  times  is  cordially  favorable  to  the  applica- 
tion of  comity  principles  to  interchurch  relations  on 
an  extensive  scale,  one  most  urgent  need  seems  to  be 
for  the  directing  of  this  spreading  spirit  of  inter- 
denominational fraternalism  into  practical  channels 
by  the  organization  of  State,  City,  and  Community 
Federations. 

2.  Systematic  efforts  for  multiplying  interdenomi- 
national gatherings,  by  arranging  for  frequent  union 
church  services  and  pulpit  exchange,  will  help  to 
create  the  atmosphere  of  interchurch  intimacy  and  fel- 
lowship essential  to  the  greatest  success  of  all  co- 
operative effort.  The  general  use  of  the  “Interchurch 
Sunday”  plan  of  interdenominational  pulpit  exchanges 
will  prove  of  value  in  this  direction. 

3.  Because  the  spirit  of  Christian  fraternalism  is 
best  promoted  by  the  actual  cooperation  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  various  denominations  in  the  prosecution 
of  a common  task,  every  opportunity  for  uniting  in 
special  forms  of  community  welfare  activities  should 
be  encouraged  for  the  sake  of  this  reflex  result,  as  well 


INTER-CHURCH  COMITY 


31 


as  of  the  specially  sought  results  secured  through 
these  cooperative  labors. 

4.  The  wider  circulation  of  comity  literature  will 
prove  of  educational  value.  A volume  devoted  wholly 
to  incidents  illustrating  comity  in  operation,  similar 
to  those  cited  in  this  report,  would  inspire  and  spur 
others  to  efforts  in  the  same  direction. 

5.  It  may  seem  gratuitous  to  suggest  the  impor- 
tance of  keeping  all  of  these  plans  for  the  promotion 
and  application  of  comity  upon  the  highest  spiritual 
plane  lest  they  degenerate,  on  the  one  hand,  into  the 
barrenness  of  mere  method  multiplication,  or,  on  the 
other,  into  a superficial  good  fellowship  which  has  no 
spiritual  value  because  it  has  no  Christ-inspired  con- 
victions. 

ADDENDUM 

The  following  statement  was  presented  by  dele- 
gates and  adopted  by  the  Congress ; 

This  Congress  rejoices  in  the  rapid  growth  of  community 
churches,  and  believes  that  to  new  communities  and  to  older 
towns  and  villages  where  the  church  life  has  declined,  this  type 
of  organization  offers  assurance  of  enlarged  church-membership, 
spiritual  strength,  and  a new  social  vision.  Each  and  every 
evangelical  denomination  is  urged  to  encourage  the  organiza- 
tion of  these  churches  and  to  adjust  its  policies  so  as  to  admit 
them  into  its  fellowship  with  recognition  of  their  character  as 
designed  to  serve  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  whole  community. 


II 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMISSION 
ON  A DEPARTMENT  OF 
COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 

Pearson,  Rev.  Morton  C.,  Chairman  Indianapolis,  Ind.  _ 
Executive  Secretary,  Church  Federation  of  Indianapolis 

Fogg,  James  E.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Real  Estate  and  Financial  Agent 

Freeman,  Rev.  James  E.  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Pastor,  St.  Mark’s  Protestant  Episcopal  Qiurdh 

Gleiss,  Rev.  H.  C.  Detroit,  Mich. 

Evangelistic  Secretary,  Detroit  Baptist  Association 

Goodell,  Rev.  C.  L.  New  York  City 

Pastor,  St.  Paul’s  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Latshaw,  Rev.  David  New  York  City 

Secretary,  International  Committee  of  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Associations. 

Rice,  Rev.  M.  E.  Detroit,  Mich. 

Pastor,  Woodward  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Smith,  Rev.  C.  McLeod  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Executive  Secretary,  Buffalo  Federation  of  Churches 

Stauffer,  Rev.  C.  R.  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Pastor,  Norwood  Christian  Church 

Waldorf,  Rev.  E.  L.  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Pastor,  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 


The  Opportunity  of  the  Church 

The  nations  of  the  world  have  called  their  sons  to 
arms.  The  church  of  the  living  God  is  calling  her  sons 
to  a mighty  campaign  for  men  who  will  consecrate 
themselves  to  his  service,  to  the  increase  of  righteous- 
ness throughout  the  world.  We  are  in  the  midst  of 
changes  of  incomprehensible  proportions  and  incal- 


33 


34  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


culable  issues  to  the  world.  Foundations  seem  to  be 
shifting.  The  older  order  changeth.  A great  hour 
has  struck  and  the  world  crisis  ushers  in  the  church’s 
opportunity. 

These  times  call  for  a nation-wide  evangelistic 
undertaking,  designed  to  do  more  than  to  revive  for  a 
brief  space  a gospel  ministry.  If  it  is  to  be  effective 
in  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church,  and  through  it  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  nation,  it  must  not  be  spectacular 
or  sporadic.  It  must  not  be  a temporary  movement 
but  a reaffirmed  principle  of  service.  If  there  must  be 
machinery,  let  it  be  so  inconspicuous  that  it  shall  not 
disclose  its  presence.  It  must  reach  those  great  mul- 
titudes now  untouched. 

There  are  gifted  evangelists  who  will  be  available 
and  who  must  carry  burdens  in  this  great  undertaking, 
but  the  mission  will  fail  of  its  purpose  unless  every 
pastor  and  every  congregation  is  enlisted.  To  ac- 
knowledge incompetency  is  to  deny  our  Lord  and  to 
hinder  his  claims. 

A greater  and  more  vital  fellowship  among  the 
clergy  must  grow  out  of  this  undertaking.  No  matter 
what  our  personal  and  peculiar  points  of  view  may  be, 
we  are  common  priests  of  a common  household  of 
faith.  Ixt  us  banish  distrust  and  abolish  all  rivalries. 
Let  us  silence  all  other  voices  that  Christ’s  voice  may 
prevail.  If  the  splendid  heritage  left  us  by  him  is  to 
be  handed  on  unimpaired,  we,  its  custodians,  must 
hold  it  as  a common  trust  to-day. 

The  Challenge  to  the  Church 

Is  there  inherent  power  in  the  spiritual  ideals  cher- 
ished by  Christianity  to  conquer  this  new  world  in 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


35 


which  we  now  live  ? Are  Christ  and  Christianity  equal 
to  the  task  of  world  mastery? 

This  is  the  vital  religious  question  of  the  hour.  It 
comes  to  the  modern  Christian  church  as  a challenge 
to  provide  both  ideals  and  methods  that  will  be  ade- 
quate. No  attempt  merely  to  hark  back  to  past  condi- 
tions and  methods  and  conceptions  will  prevail.  Much 
less  will  it  do  any  good  to  become  carpingly  critical 
of  the  present  age  and  consign  it  to  perdition  because 
it  does  not  heed  our  call.  It  is  the  task  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  to  develop  convictions  that  will  compel 
respect  and  a program  that  will  command  confidence. 

One  of  the  most  effective  ways  to  reach  the  indi- 
vidual conscience  is  to  show  the  opportunity  and  the 
need  of  Christlike  service.  Perhaps  no  motive  either 
is  more  needed  or  more  effective  in  reaching  individ- 
uals than  to  show  them  how  to  help  in  a mighty  and 
worthy  task.  The  task  is  essentially  spiritual.  It 
involves  fundamentally  a recognition  of  consciousness 
of  God  in  personal  spiritual  experience.  It  involves 
with  equal  emphasis  the  rendering  of  personal  helpful 
service  to  others  and  the  enlistment  for  the  service  of 
life  for  ideals  and  for  a Person. 

This  challenge  must  be  given  not  to  limited  groups 
but  to  all  men.  The  universal  reach  of  the  message 
must  be  recognized  with  new  emphasis,  an  emphasis 
arising  from  the  complexity  of  new  social  relation- 
ships. A new  solidarity  is  already  coming,  based 
upon  a new  and  richer  individualism. 

There  are  many  venturesome  spirits  whose  power 
of  initiative  and  intellectual  freedom  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion needs  and  who  need  the  confidence  and  the 
comfort  of  a definite  faith.  The  church  must  lay  claim 


36  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


to  these  and  indeed  to  all  classes  and  types  and 
groups  of  men.  The  “free  thinkers,”  the  dull  and  un- 
responsive, the  alienated  groups,  all  constitute  the 
field  of  the  church.  A new  missionary  enthusiasm  is 
growing.  It  ought  to  grow  to  a master  passion.  The 
churches  of  a city  should  know  definitely  who  are 
not  in  the  ranks  of  Christian  service,  should  know 
why  they  are  not,  and  should  not  be  content  until 
they  are  enlisted. 

This  report  deals  primarily  with  the  community 
task  of  evangelism,  with  the  work  which  can  be  done 
through  the  cooperation  of  churches  and  other  Chris- 
tian agencies. 

I.  The  Normal  Method  of  Christian  Culture 

The  church’s  greatest  opportunity  for  the  develop- 
ment of  Christians  lies  among  the  children  of  our 
American  homes.  Here  is  the  church  of  to-morrow, 
and  through  the  natural,  normal  channels  of  Christian 
culture  and  training,  the  children  of  the  nation  may 
be  led  to  accept  Christ  and  to  be  worthy  members  of 
the  church.  If  this  work  is  conscientiously  done  by 
parents  and  Sunday-school  teachers  and  day-school 
teachers,  the  future  of  the  church  is  assured. 

The  investment  of  time,  effort,  and  money  in  the 
building  of  character  is  surely  a wise  one.  The  world 
can  never  be  won  for  God  by  simply  winning  men  and 
women.  The  children  must  be  won  or  the  case  is 
hopeless.  The  accompanying  report  on  religious  edu- 
cation deals  fully  with  this  subject  as  it  relates  to  the 
community  task. 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


37 


11.  Pastoral,  Personal  Evangelism  in  the  Local 
Church 

There  are  many  forms  of  evangelism,  but  there  can 
be  no  difference  of  opinion  concerning  the  fact  that 
the  basis  of  a successful  evangelistic  effort  must  be 
the  individual  church  and  pastor.  The  normal  evan- 
gelism is  that  which  every  pastor  conducts  with  his 
own  people  throughout  the  year.  Here  is  scope  for 
the  Christian  culture  of  childhood,  in  which,  by  a 
law  as  unyielding  as  the  law  of  physical  growth,  spir- 
itual development  shall  go  forward  from  the  bud  and 
blossom  to  glorious  fruitage. 

In  order  that  there  may  be  successful  evangelistic 
campaigns  by  federated  churches,  there  must  be  a 
spirit  apparent  which  will  make  the  individual  church 
a vital  and  integral  part  of  that  campaign.  No  team 
is  stronger  than  the  individual  players.  Unquestion- 
ably, there  are  times  when  an  evangelistic  campaign 
with  some  accredited  evangelist  at  the  head  of  it  is 
essential,  but  even  then  it  will  amount  to  little  unless 
there  is  evangelistic  efficiency  in  the  local  church. 

The  crying  need  of  the  time  is  for  more  pastors 
and  church  officials  who  definitely  plan  for  evangelis- 
tic work.  It  has  been  well  said  that  the  church  needs 
to  “agonize”  quite  as  much  as  to  “organize.”  It  is 
the  church  of  the  yearning  heart  in  which  young  peo- 
ple and  old  will  come  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  “To 
your  tents,  O Israel.”  It  is  time  for  a new  Pentecost. 
Let  it  begin  by  setting  up  the  family  altar  in  every 
individual  home  and  in  the  consecration  of  every 
Christian  pastor  in  the  blessed  task  of  winning  the 
world  to  God. 

The  Department  of  Evangelism  can  render  a valu- 


38  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


able  service  to  the  churches  in  the  federation  by  secur- 
ing reports  on  methods  that  have  been  successful  in 
local  churches  and  furnishing  them  to  pastors  and 
church  officials.  No  one  method  will  be  equally  ac- 
ceptable to  all  leaders  but  from  several  methods  sug- 
gestions can  be  adopted  which  will  be  very  helpful. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lowell,  Massachusetts, 
has  worked  out  a year-round  program  for  evangelism. 
The  success  of  such  a plan  depends  upon  a few  essen- 
tial features.  First:  the  pastor  must  believe  in  and 
be  bold  in  evangelism.  He  must  keep  all  organ- 
izations under  his  own  hand.  Reports  must  be  made 
directly  to  him.  Second : a survey  of  forces  in  the 
church  and  of  the  field  about  the  church  is  funda- 
mental. The  field  must  be  known  thoroughly  in  order 
to  cultivate  it.  Third : constant  pressure  must  be 
kept  upon  the  workers  during  the  height  of  the  cam- 
paign. Fourth:  there  must  be  a definite  goal  and  a 
definite  time  for  work. 

III.  Special  Forms  of  Cooperative  Evangelism 
I.  Simultaneous  Evangelistic  Campaigns 

A new  type  of  evangelistic  movement  has  been  in- 
augurated in  a number  of  our  large  cities  which  has 
become  exceedingly  resultful  and  popular  with  pastors 
and  churches  where  it  has  been  tried  out.  It  involves 
an  agreement  on  the  part  of  all  the  pastors  to  follow 
an  all-year-round  program  of  pastoral  and  personal 
evangelistic  eflPorts.  The  plan  makes  necessary  cen- 
tral leadership  such  as  a local  federation,  or  a thor- 
oughly representative  evangelistic  committee  appoint- 
ed by  the  Ministerial  Association. 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


39 


It  becomes  the  work  of  this  federation  or  com- 
mittee to  build  a plan  of  work  sufficiently  compre- 
hensive and  concrete  unitedly  to  engage  all  the  active 
religious  forces  of  a city  in  efficient  pastoral-personal 
evangelistic  effort.  The  hub  of  the  whole  movement 
is  usually  found  in  a down-town  theater  meeting  held 
each  day  at  noon  from  twelve  to  one  o’clock  during  the 
time  the  individual  churches  are  engaged  in  intensive 
evangelistic  work.  In  Indianapolis  this  noon  meeting 
has  been  an  outstanding  feature  and  the  attendance 
has  ranged  through  a period  of  four  years  from  800 
to  2,500  people  daily.  The  meeting  is  thoroughly 
evangelistic  in  character.  The  speakers  may  be  local 
ministers  or  ministers  invited  from  the  outside.  Too 
much  emphasis  cannot  be  placed  upon  these  central 
mass-meetings. 

No  evangelist  is  required  in  the  execution  of  the 
simultaneous  evangelistic  campaign.  In  large  cities, 
however,  it  is  necessary  to  have  a secretary  who  can 
practically  give  all  of  his  time  to  this  work.  The 
expense  involved  is  a very  small  item.  The  responsi- 
bility for  the  campaign  rests  equally  upon  every  min- 
ister and  layman.  Each  church  is  organized  to  a point 
of  highest  efficiency.  The  pastors  are  expected  to  be 
winning  men,  women,  and  children  to  Christ  and  the 
church  throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  campaign. 
Each  church  is  made  responsible  for  a house-to-house 
canvass  of  its  own  parish  through  a plan  that  covers 
the  entire  city.  No  family  in  the  city  should  be  left 
untouched  by  these  home  canvasses.  The  movement 
is  thoroughly  interdenominational,  the  supreme  object 
being  the  bringing  in  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the 
elevation  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  of  the  entire 
city  and  community. 


40  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


Much  attention  must  be  given  to  publicity.  To 
have  an  entire  community  reading  and  talking  and 
thinking  about  the  same  thing  at  the  same  time  ac- 
counts in  part  for  the  success  of  a campaign  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Sunday. 

In.  cities  where  this  plan  has  been  adopted  and 
properly  administered  great  success  has  attended  the 
movement.  Indianapolis  has  carried  on  such  a cam- 
paign for  four  full  years.  The  first  year  3,500  people 
united  with  the  churches;  the  second  year  7,000;  the 
third  year  8,000,  and  the  fourth  year  8,000.  Similar  re- 
sults have  been  secured  in  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Louisville,  and  other  cities  conducting  such  cam- 
paigns. In  addition  to  these  large  accessions  to  mem- 
bership, the  religious  life  of  the  city  has  been  unified 
and  a splendid  fellowship  has  been  developed  among 
both  ministers  and  laymen. 

This  form  of  evangelism  has  become  the  fertile 
soil  in  which  other  forms  of  cooperative  efforts  have 
been  grown,  namely : public  recreation,  social  hy- 
giene, housing,  religious  education,  wholesome  legis- 
lation, law  enforcement,  suppression  of  vice,  and  the 
purification  of  the  local  election.  The  full  apprecia- 
tion of  the  eternal  value  of  a human  life  leads  to  the 
more  careful  safeguarding  and  development  of  that 
life.  It  should  be  the  settled  policy  of  the  local 
Church  Federation  to  keep  the  work  of  evangelism  at 
the  very  forefront  of  its  many  activities.  A definite 
goal  should  be  fixed  toward  which  the  big  drive  is  to 
be  made.  It  is  urged  that  the  reports  be  of  actual 
gains  to  the  church-membership  consisting  of  those 
received  on  confession  of  faith  or  by  confirmation. 
The  transferring  of  members  does  not  denote  real  in- 


crease. 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


41 


A,  A Suggestive  Plan 

In  order  that  a concrete  plan  may  be  seen,  there 
follows,  largely  in  outline,  the  program  of  the  evan- 
gelistic campaign  adopted  for  the  year  1917-18  by  the 
Church  Federation  of  Indianapolis.  This  plan  will  be 
filled  in  by  special  days  and  special  services  in  the  local 
churches  by  the  evangelistic  committee  in  charge  of 
the  work. 

The  Indianapolis  Campaign,  1917-18 

“For  September — The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  through  the  Bible  Work 
Department  will  conduct  a course  of  five  lectures  on  ‘Personal 
Work  and  Church  Organization,’  beginning  Wednesday  evening, 
September  5,  and  closing  the  first  Wednesday  in  October.  These 
lectures  will  be  open  to  the  ministers  of  the  city  and  will  deal 
directly  with  personal-pastoral  evangelism  by  the  individual 
through  the  church. 

“The  Committee  recommends  that  October  7 be  designated 
as  Church-Going  and  Registration  Sunday.  The  suggestion  is 
also  made  that  uniform  cards  of  registration  be  prepared  by  the 
Federation  and  that  those  present  during  the  services  of  that  day 
be  asked  to  sign  cards,  giving  name  and  address  and  church 
relationship. 

“For  October — October  i will  be  the  regular  morning  for 
the  Union  Ministers’  meeting.  We  recommend  that  an  address 
be  given  on  that  morning  by  some  outstanding  minister  on  the 
subject  of  Evangelism.  Also,  that  a noon  luncheon  be  held  for 
the  ministers  of  the  city  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  that  the 
luncheon  be  followed  by  a conference  on  the  program  of  the 
churches  for  the  winter,  this  program  to  be  worked  out  in  detail 
by  the  evangelistic  committee. 

“We  recommend  that  the  churches  of  the  city  be  divided 
into  natural  groups  to  the  number  of  fifteen  or  more,  and  that 
on  the  first  three  Monday  evenings  of  the  month  union  meetings 
of  each  group  of  church  workers  be  held  in  these  various  sec- 
tions of  the  city  to  be  addressed  by  some  minister  selected  by 
the  evangelistic  committee.  It  is  our  judgment  that  the  meetings 


42  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


in  each  group  should  be  held  in  one  central  location  and  that  the 
pastors  of  each  group  cooperate  in  making  the  meetings  a suc- 
cess. It  is  also  recommended  that  one  speaker  have  charge  of 
the  services  in  each  group  for  the  entire  series. 

“On  the  fourth  Monday  evening  in  October  we  recommend 
that  all  these  groups  be  brought  together  in  a central  mass- 
meeting to  be  addressed  by  a selected  speaker. 

“The  month  of  October  should  be  designated  as  the  month 
for  Rally  days,  special  work  in  the  Sunday-schools  and  Young 
People’s  Societies,  and  should  also  mark  the  canvassing  of 
homes  in  each  community  by  the  churches. 

“For  November — We  recommend  .that  a two  weeks’  simul- 
taneous evangelistic  campaign  be  held,  beginning  Sunday, 
November  4,  each  church  to  hold  its  meeting  in  its  own  way. 
Also  that  during  these  two  weeks  noon  meetings  at  Keith’s 
Theatre  be  held  as  usual,  to  be  addressed  by  some  outstanding 
evangelistic  preacher.  The  committee  desires  each  church  to 
pledge  itself  to  begin  special  services  on  November  4,  and  to 
continue  two  weeks  or  longer.  We  recommend  also  that  pre- 
ceding these  meetings,  home  prayer  meetings  be  held  through- 
out the  city  in  large  numbers. 

“For  December — The  month  of  December  is  to  be  devoted 
to  follow-up  work  and  the  preparation  of  Christmas  celebrations. 

“For  January — Wt  recommend  that  the  Week  of  Prayer  be 
observed  throughout  the  city  during  the  the  first  week  of  Jan- 
uary, beginning  January  6,  and  concluding  January  13,  1918. 
During  the  Week  of  Prayer  noon  meetings  to  be  held  at  Keith’s 
Theatre,  with  local  ministers  as  speakers. 

“For  February — The  month  of  February  to  be  devoted  to 
the  ingathering  of  members  to  the  church  and  to  the  kingdom 
of  God,  through  the  organized  effort  of  personal  workers’  teams 
in  all  the  city  churches,  following  the  Lowell  Plan  of  Organiza- 
tion. 

“For  March — We  recommend  that  between  Palm  Sunday 
and  Easter  Sunday,  March  23  and  31,  Passion  Week  Services 
be  held  throughout  the  city,  and  during  this  time  another  week 
of  Keith  Meetings  be  held  under  the  direction  of  the  Federa- 
tion, with  some  outstanding  man  as  speaker.’’ 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


43 


B.  We  recommend  this  plan  for  the  following 
reasons : 

(1)  It  furnishes  all  the  churches  of  a community  a 
comprehensive,  simultaneous,  all-the-year-round  pro- 
gram of  church  activity. 

(2)  It  emphasizes  evangelism  as  the  fundamental 
interest  of  the  churches  during  the  entire  year. 

(3)  Converts  who  are  won  to  Christ  and  the 
church  by  this  plan  are  fully  assimilated  as  they  enter 
into  church  fellowship. 

(4)  It  employs  to  the  fullest  measure  all  the  nat- 
ural and  regular  agencies  of  the  church  in  its  approach 
to  the  unconverted  and  unchurched  persons  of  the 
community,  such  as  the  pastor,  Sunday-school,  and 
laymen’s  personal  work  committee. 

(5)  It  recognizes  and  emphasizes  the  office  of  the 
pastor  with  his  lay  assistants  as  the  legitimate  leaders 
of  the  religious  work  in  the  community. 

(6)  It  greatly  strengthens  every  department  of  the 
local  churches.  There  are  no  considerable  reactions 
or  lapses  in  interest  or  membership. 

(7)  By  the  use  of  this  method  the  religious 
agencies  of  a community  are  naturally  and  easily  uni- 
fied into  a single  unit  of  influence  for  righteousness 
and  for  the  betterment  of  the  moral,  social,  and  relig- 
ious life  of  the  community. 

This  plan  of  evangelism  has  its  limitations.  It 
does  not  reach  certain  classes  of  people  who  are  drawn 
to  tabernacle  meetings  by  the  extraordinary  forms  of 
service  conducted  there.  For  this  reason  it  is  felt  that 
an  occasional  tabernacle  meeting,  held  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Church  Federation  and  as  a part  of  its  all- 
year-program, can  be  helpful. 


44  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


2.  Tabernacle  Evangelism 

Tabernacle  evangelism  involves  the  organization 
of  an  evangelistic  party  with  an  evangelist  at  the  head. 
This  party  is  so  equipped  as  to  cover  every  phase  of 
religious  life  of  the  community  where  a tabernacle 
evangelistic  meeting  is  held.  The  community  assumes 
the  responsibility  of  erecting  a large  temporary  taber- 
nacle seating  from  5,000  to  20,000  people,  the  enter- 
tainment of  the  whole  party,  the  paying  of  one  half  the 
salaries  of  all  the  party  except  the  evangelist,  whose 
compensation  is  covered  by  ail  the  offerings  which  are 
made  for  him  on  the  last  day  of  the  meeting.  The  cost 
of  a tabernacle  campaign  ranges  from  $6,000  to 
$150,000,  according  to  the  size  of  the  community  and 
the  popularity  of  the  evangelist.  This  method  has 
been  in  use  to  a greater  or  less  degree  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  and  therefore  does  not  need  to  be  de- 
scribed. 

A.  For  this  method  of  evangelism  we  can  state  the 
following  as  elements  of  strength  and  value. 

(1)  It  promotes  good  fellowship  among  the 
churches  and  prepares  the  way  for  any  cooperative 
work  by  the  churches. 

(2)  It  advertises  religion  and  the  church  because 
of  the  unusual  publicity  given  to  such  a campaign  by 
the  press  of  the  city. 

(3)  It  popularizes  religion;  it  brings  together  the 
pastors  and  the  people  of  the  poor  and  wealthy 
churches;  it  draws  in  large  numbers  the  non-church- 
going elements  of  the  city.  All  mingle  together  and 
religion  becomes  genuinely  democratic. 

(4)  The  sins  of  society  and  the  church  are  usually 
denounced  by  the  evangelist  without  fear  of  personal 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


45 


offense.  He  is  free  to  speak  strongly  and  frankly  from 
his  tabernacle  platform  as  the  local  pastor  cannot  do. 

(5)  Such  campaigns  have  aided  greatly  in  driving 
out  the  saloons  in  the  cities  where  campaigns  have 
been  held.  It  creates  an  atmosphere  of  evangelism 
throughout  the  country. 

(6)  It  leads  many  persons  to  become  disciples  of 
Jesus  Christ  who  might  not  be  won  through  the  regu- 
lar work  of  the  local  churches. 

B.  The  Sub-commission  has  gathered  from  various 
sources  certain  features  of  the  tabernacle  system 
which  are  open  to  criticism  and  which  should  have 
serious  consideration  and  should,  if  possible,  be  speed- 
ily remedied. 

(1)  “Hitting  the  trail”  is  too  often  a very  super- 
ficial matter.  It  is  actuated  too  often  by  wrong  mo- 
tives. Too  many  people  come  forward  just  to  “shake 
hands”  with  the  evangelist.  Many  come  without  evi- 
dence of  penitence  or  a realization  of  the  significant 
step  being  taken.  For  such  people  there  is  seldom 
any  after  meeting  to  clarify  the  mind,  deepen  the  con- 
viction, or  give  assurance  of  the  acceptance  of  Christ. 

(2)  New  converts  are  in  danger  of  securing  a dis- 
torted idea  of  church  work,  church  services,  and  the 
ministers  of  Christ  w’ho  have  charge  of  local  churches. 

(3)  Among  the  “trail  hitters”  distinction  is  not 
always  made  between  new  converts  and  reconsecra- 
tions. The  figures  reported  in  the  daily  papers  are 
misleading  and  not  very  valuable. 

(4)  The  regular  church  services  and  offerings  are 
so  disarranged  by  a long  omission  of  services  that 
much  loss  is  suffered  and  much  time  required  for 
readjustment. 

(5)  The  commercial  element  is  too  prominent  in 


46  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH-WORK 


the  tabernacle  method  of  evangelism.  The  appeal  for 
money,  not  only  for  local  expenses,  but  for  the  com- 
pensation of  the  evangelist  receives  too  large  an  em- 
phasis. The  appeal  most  often  used  to  encourage 
giving  is  “We  must  not  fall  behind  other  cities.” 

(6)  The  number  of  accessions  to  the  churches  is 
about  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  signing 
cards  and  reported  to  the  press,  thus  demonstrating 
the  need  of  great  care  in  estimating  the  actual  net 
results  of  such  a campaign. 

(7)  Objection  is  made  that  these  tabernacle  efforts 
are  too  sensational  and  too  highly  geared.  They  speed 
up  a particular  type  of  religious  work  to  a point  where 
it  cannot  be  maintained  by  any  possible  effort.  It  is 
sure  to  slow  down  and  seem  tame  and  insipid  to  the 
people  drawn  together  by  the  tabernacle  method. 

Where  communities  desire  a tabernacle  evangel- 
istic campaign  an  endeavor  should  be  put  forth  to  in- 
crease the  elements  of  strength  and  value  which  in- 
here in  this  form  of  union  evangelistic  effort  and 
diminish  as  far  as  possible  those  features  which  have 
brought  forth  the  largest  criticism  of  the  method.  It 
is  believed  by  this  Commission  that  all  these  elements 
of  disfavor  might  be  reduced  to  the  lowest  terms  and 
the  method  preserved  and  strengthened  for  a larger 
field  of  usefulness  than  it  has  ever  yet  had. 

3.  Evangelism  in  Shops  and  Factories 

While  the  church’s  opportunity  to  evangelize  the 
mass  of  men  within  her  own  walls  seems  to  be  limited 
under  present  conditions,  the  shop  meeting  offers  a 
conspicuous  example  of  quietly  done  evangelistic  work 
on  what  might  be  called  the  “non-committal”  ground 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


47 


of  industry.  Through  shop  meetings  the  church 
reaches  with  her  message  every  race  and  creed  repre- 
sented on  this  continent. 

Taking  figures  from  the  year  book  of  the  Y.  M.  C. 
A.  last  year  we  find  that  333  Associations  reported 
27,345  shop  meetings  held  in  1,134  different  shops  with 
a total  hearing  by  2,004,946  men.  The  number  of  shops 
entered  and  the  hearing  given  is  the  largest  ever  re- 
ported. While  the  figures  are  recorded  in  the  report 
of  one  of  the  church’s  lay  agencies,  the  bulk  of  the 
speaking  in  these  meetings  was  done  by  ordained  min- 
isters. It  is  estimated  that  an  average  of  ten  clergy- 
men cooperated  in  each  of  the  333  Associations 
reporting,  making  a total  of  3,300  ministers.  The  mes- 
sage was  delivered  by  ministers,  while  the  opportunity 
as  a rule  was  secured,  developed,  and  financed  by  the 
lay  workers  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  The  shop  meeting  is 
not  only  from  and  for  the  church  but  in  a verv  real 
sense  is  maintained  by  the  church. 

A.  Methods  of  Organization 

( 1 ) Central  Committee.  A central  committee  upon 
which  the  working  man,  the  employer,  the  Church 
Federation  or  ministerial  organization  and  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  are  represented.  The  majority  of  the  committee 
should  be  made  up  of  men  directly  connected  with  in- 
dustry. This  committee  usually  meets  at  least  once  a 
month  for  reports  on  the  work  and  plans  for  extension 
and  betterment. 

(2)  Shop  Leaders.  A layman  leader  from  outside 
the  shop.  He  serves  in  one  shop  for  the  entire  season. 
His  duties  are  to  conduct  the  shop  meetings,  act  as 
chairman  of  the  shop  committee,  cooperate  in  securing 


48  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


speakers,  music,  etc.,  for  the  shop.  The  leader  keeps 
in  close  touch  with  the  speaker  and  the  employer  and 
puts  his  life  in  close  touch  with  the  lives  of  the  work- 
men. He  is  the  spokesman  for  the  men  to  the  church 
and  the  Association. 

(3)  Shop  Speakers.  The  speaker  on  the  other  hand 
may  be  a clergyman  or  layman.  In  most  cases  he  is  a 
clergyman.  His  duty  is  to  preach  the  gospel  to  as 
eager  a body  of  men  as  he  will  ever  find  in  his  own 
church.  He  speaks  in  the  name  of  the  whole  church. 
If  he  gains  spiritual  leadership,  as  he  has  every  oppor- 
tunity to  do,  he  will  see  large  results  from  his  work. 
There  are  some  clergymen  with  a “shop  pastorate”  of 
as  many  as  six  years. 

It  is  the  usual  practise  to  call  committeemen,  lead- 
ers, and  speakers  together  for  conference  at  least  once 
a month, 

(4)  Shop  Committee.  Usually  three  to  five  men. 
In  large  shops  a representative  in  each  department  has 
been  found  desirable.  They  may  be  elected  in  a regu- 
lar shop  meeting  by  the  men  themselves,  or  may  be 
appointed  by  the  shop  leader. 

B.  How  TO  Relate  the  Work  to  the  Church 

(1)  Through  an  interchurch  organization,  such  as 
the  Church  Federation,  Ministerial  Association,  or  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  To  the  local  churches  through  the  use  of 
pastors  as  speakers  and  laymen  as  leaders,  musicians, 
etc.  An  annual  report  to  the  local  churches  of  all  work 
done  is  also  desirable. 

(2)  Through  the  spiritual  leadership  of  laymen 
and  pastors  in  the  shop. 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


49 


(3)  Through  a demonstration  of  the  spirit  of 
brotherhood  and  the  service  by  churchmen. 

(4)  Through  evangelistic  meetings  promoted  by 
shop  men  outside  the  shop. 

(5)  Personal  interviews  and  “join  the  church” 
campaigns. 

C.  Should  the  Federation  or  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  Conduct 
THE  Work? 

The  majority  of  federation  secretaries  and  minis- 
ters answering  this  question  agree  that  this  work  may 
best  be  conducted  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  with  cooperation 
by  the  Church  Federation  or  Ministerial  Association. 
The  following  reasons  support  this  opinion. 

1.  The  successful  cooperation  of  clergymen  and 
laymen  in  carrying  the  evangelistic  message  of  the 
church  to  the  shops  through  the  Association. 

2.  The  long  experience  of  the  Association  in  this 
type  of  work.  Some  of  the  shop  meetings  have  been  in 
operation  for  over  twenty  years. 

3.  The  ability  of  the  Association  as  an  outpost  of 
the  church  to  minister  through  experience  and  equip- 
ment to  the  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  needs  of 
working  men. 

4.  The  Association’s  experience  in  securing  support 
from  both  Catholic  and  Protestant  workmen  in  con- 
ducting shop  meetings. 

D,  Thoroughness 

There  are  about  14,000,000  wage-earners  in  this 
country,  and  while  there  is  a constant  growth  in  the 


50  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


church’s  hearing  through  the  shop  meeting,  it  cannot 
be  said  that  we  have  more  than  touched  the  fringe  of 
the  field. 

The  industrial  question  has  for  a long  time  been 
admitted  by  thoughtful  men  to  be  the  most  pressing 
phase  of  the  social  problem.  It  will  not  be  less  a prob- 
lem in  the  days  of  reconstruction  after  the  world  war. 
If  the  problems  of  capital  and  labor  are  to  be  settled 
by  the  principles  of  Jesus,  the  rank  and  file  as  well  as 
the  leaders  of  industry  in  America  must  be  taught  what 
his  principles  are.  There  must  be  also  a demonstra- 
tion by  all  Christian  men  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  in  ser- 
vice, if  his  spirit  is  to  mold  the  policies  of  this  awaken- 
ing and  plastic  body  of  working  men.  A larger  program 
of  work  among  the  men  of  industry,  a better  coopera- 
tion from  every  organization  of  Christians,  more  care- 
fully selected  and  trained  leaders,  and  better  methods 
of  work,  are  all  necessary  if  the  church  is  thoroughly 
to  meet  her  opportunity  among  the  men  of  industry. 

IV.  Evangelism  in  Open  Air  Meetings 

A.  Opportunities.  This  is  an  era  of  outdoor  enter- 
tainment and  propaganda.  Cities  and  towns  have 
become  the  dwelling-place  of  the  crowds,  and  the 
crowds  are  found  on  the  streets  and  in  the  parks. 
Great  pageants  and  operatic  and  theatrical  perform- 
ances are  elaborately  staged  in  the  open  air.  All  sorts 
of  amusement  enterprises  and  propagandists  of  all 
kinds  of  “isms”  may  be  found  and  seen  and  heard  in 
every  quarter  of  a crowded  city.  Whoso  will  get  the 
gospel  message  to  the  crowd  must  go  where  the  crowd 
is.  Fifty-three  per  cent,  of  the  population  of  St.  Louis 
(400,000  souls)  is  not  in  communion  with  the  church. 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


51 


The  masses  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  churches.  Where 
can  they  be  reached  ? Opportunities  are  everywhere  ; 
in  all  kinds  of  places;  under  all  kinds  of  conditions, — 
in  the  better  sections  of  the  cities,  in  public  plazas,  in 
the  American  tenement  districts,  and  in  the  distinctly 
foreign  quarters  among  Italians,  Lithuanians,  Rus- 
sian Jews,  German  Jews,  and  Polish  Jews. 

B.  Difficulties.  These  are  along  several  general 
lines : lack  of  adaptation  in  the  places  occupied ; lack 
of  training  and  experience  for  this  particular  sort  of 
work.  The  crowd  is  not  one  in  quest  of  religious 
things.  The  difficulty  is  getting  Protestant  Christians 
to  realize  that  they  have  a mission  or  a responsibility 
for  this  kind  of  work.  But  the  greatest  difficulty  has 
always  been  to  convince  both  the  laymen  and  minis- 
ters that  their  duties  lie  outside  of  the  immediate  four 
walls  of  their  church  building  or  beyond  their  denomi- 
national group.  In  some  cities  opposition  by  antagon- 
istic groups — rationalists,  socialists,  I.  W.  W.  organ- 
izers, freethinkers  generally — must  be  combated. 

Often  very  capable  men  fail  to  diagnose  the  mind  of  the 
crowd.  “One  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  cites  two  instances  of 
pastors  who  went  to  a street  meeting  in  a foreign  section  and 
used  creedal  statements  that  aroused  prejudice  rather  than 
secured  the  cooperating  interest  of  the  people  of  the  community. 
But  as  against  this  the  various  communities  have  always  received 
us  kindly  and  attentively,  and  except  when  a speaker  without 
proper  experience  has  made  ill-chosen  remarks  there  has  never 
been  a murmur  of  opposition  to  the  things  that  we  have  been 
trying  to  do.” 

St.  Louis’  experience  in  dealing  with  the  crowd  is  fairly 
well  set  forth  in  the  Hoho  News,  the  organ  of  the  International 
Brotherhood  Welfare  Association. 

"The  Church  and  Social  Justice 

“Now  that  the  open  meetings  on  the  court-house  steps  are 


52  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


closing  down  on  account  of  the  chill  in  the  weather,  we  think 
it  advisable  to  look  back  and  find  out  if  we  can,  what  good  has 
been  accomplished. 

“The  meetings  have  been  run  in  the  main  without  friction 
in  spite  of  the  sharply  divergent  views  of  many  of  the  speakers. 
The  churches  have  had  the  first  hour  with  their  choirs  and  min- 
isters, and  (the  radicals  the  remainder  of  the  time.  On  the  whole 
it  has  worked  very  well,  and  we  are  proud  of  the  fact  that  the 
speakers  and  friends  of  the  International  Brotherhood  Welfare 
Association  have  taken  a not  inconspicuous  part. 

“It  does  not  look  as  if  the  church  has  made  many  converts 
from  their  evangelical  point  of  view ; yet  this  has  been  gained — 
there  is  a spirit  of  fellowship  in  these  meetings,  churchmen, 
socialists,  anarchists,  I.  W.  W.  and  A.  F.  of  L.  men  giving  credit 
where  credit  was  due,  and  when  criticism  seemed  called  for, 
giving  it  in  all  kindness  and  without  malice  or  vituperative 
language. 

“This  is  a great  gain,  for  if  this  method  could  be  used  with 
all  classes  and  conditions  of  the  people  throughout  the  country, 
a great  many  misunderstandings  would  be  cleared  up  and  we 
should  be  a great  deal  nearer  to  the  promised  land.” 

C.  Methods  of  Organization 

1.  Music.  There  must  be  music;  “cornet  or  clear 
tone-carrying  instrument.”  A clear  carrying  voice  will 
always  get  a hearing.  A good  male  glee  club  will  draw 
a crowd  any  time.  A group  of  mixed  voices  singing 
selections  with  which  the  members  are  familiar  also 
wins.  Perhaps  no  other  music  is  quite  so  helpful  as  a 
good  soloist  singing  choice  selections.  In  this  respect 
the  crowd  outside  is  very  like  the  crowd  within  church 
walls. 

2.  Speaker.  It  makes  little  difference  whether  the 
speaker  is  minister  or  layman  if  he  has  a message  and 
can  give  it.  The  crowd  will  listen  to  almost  any  man 
with  a good  voice,  earnest,  and  fairly  capable  of  adapt- 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


53 


ing  content  and  expression  to  a promiscuous  company 
more  familiar  with  the  style  of  the  reporter  than  the 
preacher  or  the  lecturer.  The  speaker  should  have  the 
ability  of  a story-teller,  be  able  to  put  his  thoughts 
tersely  in  monosyllabic  words,  have  a live,  wide- 
awake, virile  presence,  and  have  absolute  faith  in  the 
thing  that  he  is  saying. 

3.  Leadership.  Too  much  emphasis  cannot  be 
placed  upon  the  leadership  in  open-air  meetings. 
Where  it  is  possible  the  meetings  in  any  locality 
should  be  under  the  continuous  management  of  one 
man,  who  by  experience  has  learned  the  ways  of  the 
crowd,  and  who  has  sympathy,  courtesy,  tact,  fairness. 
If  interruptions  occur  he  will  be  able  to  direct  them 
successfully  where  less  experienced  leadership  would 
make  a mess  of  the  situation. 

A good  leader,  a good  speaker,  and  good  music  will 
win  out  in  any  situation.  A well-tested  method  to-day 
has  been  the  illustrated  lecture.  The  plan  of  doing 
this  is  to  take  a moving  van,  placing  a lantern  at  one 
end  and  the  screen  at  the  other,  and  thus  show  the 
pictures  as  the  speaker  delivers  his  address. 

4.  Who  Should  Do  the  Work?  By  whatever  group 
the  meetings  are  held,  they  should  be  held  in  the 
name  of  the  church ; and  where  there  is  a Church  Fed- 
eration, there  are  obvious  advantages  in  every  way  in 
doing  this  work  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church  Fed- 
eration, or  in  cooperation  with  it.  It  seems  to  make  a 
profound  impression  when  a man  inquires,  “Who  is 
holding  these  meetings?”  to  receive  as  an  answer, 
“These  meetings  are  supported  by  all  the  Protestant 
communions  of  the  city.  The  speakers  to  whom  you 
listen  from  night  to  night  in  this  place  are  the  same 
men  who  on  Sunday  occupy  the  pulpits  of  the  city 


54  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


churches.’’  When  the  senior  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  expresses  his  desire  to  be 
one  of  the  speakers,  it  catches  the  imagination  of  the 
crowd. 

There  are  very  great  advantages  in  committing  the 
management  of  a meeting  in  a particular  locality 
largely  to  a group  of  churches  in  that  community. 
This  judgment  is  rapidly  becoming  practically  unani- 
mous. 

These  quotations  from  two  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries  are 
representative:  “One  thing  I would  advise  against,  and  that  is, 
employing  some  men  to  come  in  from  the  outside  and  conduct 
a series  of  street  meetings.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  dis- 
tinctly the  work  of  the  Christian  church,  and  is  a glorious  oppor- 
tunity for  the  church,  both  pastor  and  people,  to  convince  a 
community  that  it  is  interested  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  people  of  the  community.” 

“I  would  advise  against  street  preaching  being  done  in  the 
name  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  We  have  secured  very  splendid 
results  by  unselfishly  serving  the  church  and  putting  a sign  on 
the  wagon  which  states  the  fact  that  these  meetings  were  com- 
munity meetings,  for  the  people  of  the  community,  by  the 
churches  of  the  community.  Only  where  the  gatherings  are 
exclusively  for  men  and  boys  has  the  Association  special  respon- 
sibility.” 

But  while  the  meetings  are  held  in  the  name  of 
the  churches  there  should  be  the  fullest  cooperation 
with  all  existing  organizations  that  are  engaged  in 
promoting  the  Kingdom,  such  as  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the  accredited  missions  of  the  city,  and 
like  agencies. 

Laymen  as  Preachers 

We  ought  never  to  forget  that  some  of  the  greatest 
spiritual  awakenings  that  the  world  has  experienced 
have  been  ushered  in  through  lay  preaching.  Jesus 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


55 


called  men  from  their  occupations  and  commanded 
them  to  go  forth  and  preach  the  gospel  everywhere. 
It  is  to  the  hurt  of  the  church  and  to  the  limitation  of 
its  usefulness  that  the  ministry  of  preaching  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  has  been  so  largely  restricted  and  re- 
served to  its  ordained  messengers.  No  layman  wishes 
to  usurp  those  peculiar  functions  that  have  been  given 
to  the  clergy.  On  the  other  hand  we  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that  the  clergy  themselves  would  hail  with  delight 
a great  readiness  and  willingness  on  the  part  of  the 
consecrated  laymen,  yes,  or  laywomen,  to  proclaim  the 
message  of  the  gospel.  How  can  any  man  keep  silent 
in  such  a critical  time  as  this,  when  the  world  is 
clamoring  for  a fresh  and  positive  statement  of  the 
gospel’s  power? 

Is  there  not  a crisis  at  hand  and  is  there  not  a call 
that  is  well-nigh  tragic  that  demands  of  each  and  every 
one  of  us  a fearless  and  pronounced  expression  of  our 
great  faith?  We  do  not  have  to  have  pulpits  to  pro- 
claim this  faith,  nor  do  we  need  the  soft  or  dim  relig- 
ious light  of  the  sanctuary  to  declare  it.  Every  count- 
ing-room, every  mart  of  trade,  every  shop  and  factory, 
every  drawing  room,  every  home ; yes,  the  open 
streets  and  fields  wherein  we  have  intercourse  with 
men,  offer  us  abundant  opportunity  for  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  eternal  truths  of  our  faith. 

The  best  illustration  of  team  work  among  laymen 
is  to  be  found  in  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  leading  lay- 
men of  all  the  churches  have  been  organized  into  evan- 
gelistic teams  and  are  directed  in  their  services  both 
in  the  city  and  throughout  the  state  by  a central  com- 
mittee. These  teams  are  called  upon  to  take  charge  of 
Sunday  afternoon  and  Sunday  evening  services 
throughout  the  entire  year  and  have  been  marvelously 


56  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


successful  in  bringing  to  the  laymen  of  all  denomina- 
tions a virile  laymen’s  message.  It  is  estimated  that 
hundreds  of  conversions  and  consecrations  to  service 
have  been  secured  through  the  efforts  of  these  lay 
preachers.  This  plan  can  be  carried  out  in  any  city 
under  the  direction  of  a Church  Federation. 

Other  Suggestions 

Church  Federations  should  plan  to  bring  to  the 
city  from  time  to  time  men  who  have  great  messages 
for  particular  groups  of  people.  Among  those  to  be 
touched  are  the  high  school  students,  college  men  and 
women,  business  men  who  are  not  identified  with  the 
church,  industrial  workers  who  may  be  adverse  to  the 
church,  and  foreigners  who  have  not  yet  caught  the 
full  vision  of  our  Americanism.  Careful  attention 
should  be  given  to  the  establishing  of  social  centers, 
community  houses,  and  rescue  missions  in  those  sec- 
tions of  our  cities  where  they  may  be  needed.  The 
church  should  have  the  responsibility  of  promoting  all 
this  work  among  these  various  groups  in  order  to 
prove  its  interest  and  efficiency  in  the  task  of  social 
redemption. 

The  Sub-commission  recommends  that  local 
church  federations  throughout  the  country  see  to  it 
that  public  libraries  are  provided  with  the  latest  and 
best  books  on  church  federation  movements  and  par- 
ticularhr  on  the  subjects  of  community  evangelism  and 
home  and  foreign  missions.  Also,  through  church  fed- 
eration committees  on  religious  education  attention 
should  be  given  to  songs  which  are  generally  used  in 
the  Sunday-school^  young  people’s  societies,  and 
church  services. 


COMMUNITY  EVANGELISM 


57 


This  report  is  submitted  in  the  hope  that  it  may 
be  valuable  to  the  churches  of  the  country  in  showing 
the  way  to  the  great  task  of  evangelism  and  revealing 
the  best  methods  by  which  this  great  task  may  be 
accomplished. 


/ 


Ill 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMISSION  ON 
A DEPARTMENT  OF  HOME  AND 
FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  HOME  AND  FOREIGN 
MISSIONS 

Hicks,  Harry  Wade,  Chairman  New  York  City 

General  Secretary,  Missionary  Educaticm  Movement  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada 

Colton,  E.  T.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  Foreign  Department  of  the  International 
Committee  of  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associations. 

Diffendorfer,  R.  E.  New  York  City 

Joint  Educational  Secretary,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
and  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension, 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Fleming,  Prof.  D.  J.  New  York  City 

Department  of  Foreign  Service,  Union  Theological 
Seminary 

Green,  Rev.  Justin  N.  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Pastor,  Evanston  Christian  Church 

McAfee,  J.  E.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  Board  of  Home  Missions,  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  U.  S.  A. 

McGaffin,  Rev.  Alexander  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Pastor,  Euclid  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church 

Millar,  W.  B.  New  York  City 

General  Secretary,  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement 

Moore,  Rev.  John  M.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Pastor,  Marcy  Avenue  Baptist  Church 

North,  Rev.  Frank  Mason  New  York  City 

Corresponding  Secretary,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Patton,  Rev.  C.  H.  Boston,  Mass. 

Corresponding  Secretary,  American  Board  cxf  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions  in  the  U.  S.  A. 

Potter,  Rev.  Rockwell  Harmon  Hartford,  Conn. 

Pastor,  Center  Congregational  Church 


59 


6o  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


Rhoades,  John  D.  Toledo,  Ohio 

Rice,  Rev.  Charles  _ West  Lynn,  Mass. 

Pastor,  South  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Russell,  Winslow  Hartford,  Conn. 

Phoenix  Life  Insurance  Company 

Swartz,  Rev.  H.  F.  New  York  City 

Secretary  of  Missions,  Congregational  Home  Mission- 
ary Society 

Waltz,  Rev.  S.  S.  Louisville,  Ky. 

Pastor,  First  English  Lutheran  Qiurch 

Wilson,  Dr.  Warren  H.  New  York  City 

Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life,  Board  of 
Home  Missions,  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A. 

Winders,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Pastor,  Downey  Avenue  Christian  Church 

WISHART,  Rev.  W.  I.  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Pastor,  Eighth  United  Presbyterian  Church 

Woodrow,  Rev.  Samuel  H.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Pastor,  Pilgrim  Congregational  Church 


Scope  of  the  Report 

This  report  refers  to  the  propagation  of  Christian- 
ity outside  those  towns  and  cities  in  this  country  in 
which  the  Christian  church  is  already  established  and 
where  interchurch  relations  are  practicable.  The  scope 
of  the  report  does  not,  therefore,  include  cooperative 
city  missions  and  other  interchurch  activities  relating 
to  the  social,  moral,  and  religious  welfare  of  communi- 
ties in  which  Christianity  is  or  should  be  self-propaga- 
tive. It  does  include  whatever  activities  are  supported 
and  administered  by  the  established  home  and  foreign 
missionary  societies,  whose  field  is  outside  these  com- 
munities. This  limitation  of  the  scope  of  the  report 
has  been  imposed  by  the  Commission  on  Interchurch 
Federations,  not  because  cooperative  evangelism, 
social  service,  and  kindred  activities  of  a community 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


6i 


character  and  involving  interchurch  relations  are  not 
properly  integral  parts  of  the  world  mission  of  the 
churches,  but  because  these  cooperative  activities 
dealing  with  near  rather  than  distant  service  obvi- 
ously require  special  study  and  a separate  treatment 
for  their  highest  development. 

The  Sub-commission  recognizes  that,  for  practical 
purposes,  the  community  missions,  which  are  a vital 
and  integral  part  of  the  world  missions  of  the  church, 
should  be  separately  treated  though  not  thereby  sep- 
arately favored  or  otherwise  regarded  by  the 
churches.  The  field  is  the  world,  including  near  and 
far,  and  the  missions  of  the  churches  in  this  field 
are  a unity,  calling  for  different  types  of  service  but 
for  like  sacrificial  devotion  and  support. 

Missionary  Responsibility  of  a Local  Federation 

Does  the  propagation  of  missionary  spirit  and 
service  belong  properly  to  the  program  of  a local 
church  federation?  An  extensive  inquiry  has  been 
made  by  the  Sub-commission  to  secure  expressions  of 
judgment  on  this  question  from  representative  min- 
isters more  or  less  familiar  with  the  principles  and 
work  of  federations,  laymen  of  prominence  in  federa- 
tive effort,  and  executive  secretaries  of  federations  of 
churches.  The  entire  membership  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Federal  Council  and  a select  list  of 
home  and  foreign  mission  board  secretaries  and  em- 
ployed officers  of  interdenominational  missionary 
agencies  were  addressed  or  interviewed.  The  conclu- 
sions of  this  report  are  based  in  the  main  upon  the 
replies  received  and  upon  recorded  interviews  of  this 
investigation. 


62  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


Seventy  per  cent,  of  those  who  rendered  definite 
judgment  stated  unqualifiedly  that  the  local  federa- 
tions should  undertake  to  foster  the  development  of 
the  missionary  life  of  the  churches  of  their  respective 
communities.  Several  of  the  remainder  qualified  their 
affirmative  reply  in  one  way  or  another,  chiefly  due  to 
their  belief  that  at  present  few,  if  indeed  any,  local 
federations  are  provided  with  a large  enough  execu- 
tive staff  to  undertake  any  phase  of  work  not  limited 
strictly  to  needs  within  the  boundaries  of  their  respec- 
tive communities.  Twenty  per  cent,  of  those  who 
sent  carefully  prepared  replies  expressed  either  a well- 
formed  conviction  that  federations  of  churches  should 
not  undertake  to  promote  the  work  of  missions  other 
than  that  pertaining  to  the  community,  or  a grave 
doubt  whether  such  work  should  be  attempted. 

The  Sub-commission  finds  that  but  two  or  three 
of  the  existing  local  federations  have  had  a missionary 
committee  or  have  undertaken  a work  of  a mission- 
ary character.  Except  for  specific  tasks,  such  as  ar- 
ranging for  a convention,  lecture,  or  institute,  involv- 
ing relatively  brief  effort,  no  local  federation  whose 
work  was  reported  can  be  said  to  have  undertaken  the 
promotion  of  the  spirit  and  service  of  world  mis- 
sions in  such  a way  as  to  have  warranted  establish- 
ment of  a department  therefor,  or  the  regular  employ- 
ment of  either  an  executive  officer  or  a representative 
group  of  strong,  voluntary  missionary  leaders  in  pro- 
gressive execution  of  a continuous  program  of  ser- 
vice. The  majority  of  the  correspondents  confessed 
that  there  was  little  or  no  experience  on  which  to  base 
their  judgment.  It  is  important,  therefore,  to  record 
the  reasons  given  by  those  who  favor  including  mis- 
sions as  a regular  activity  for  the  promotion  of  which 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


63 


the  local  federation  should  make  provision,  and 
then  to  review  the  similar  statements  of  those  who  be- 
lieve that  this  form  of  cooperative  work  should  not 
be  attempted  by  the  local  federation. 

Reasons  for  a Committee  on  Missions 

In  favor  of  including  home  and  foreign  missions, 
the  following  arguments  are  therefore  presented  by 
the  Sub-commission: 

There  is  need  among  the  churches  for  a vision  of 
united  world  enterprise,  best  given  by  cooperative 
effort. 

The  fact  that  the  several  missions  abroad  are  work- 
ing more  and  more  together  accentuates  the  impor- 
tance of  common  thinking  of  the  home  churches  on  the 
task  abroad,  and  of  working  out  the  best  methods  of 
achievement. 

It  would  foster  the  spirit  of  Christian  unity. 

It  would  awaken  a consciousness  of  common  re- 
sponsibilities. 

It  would  be  a great  help  to  the  backward  churches 
in  putting  them  in  touch  with  the  missionary  spirit 
and  methods  of  the  foremost  missionary  churches  of 
the  community. 

The  local  federation  should,  for  the  sake  of  the 
community,  take  the  point  of  view  of  the  churches  as 
a whole  working  for  the  world  as  a whole. 

It  brings  the  ideals  of  one  denomination  helpfully 
into  touch  with  those  of  the  others. 

The  best  missionary  leadership  and  the  methods 
and  experience  of  all  the  denominations  represented  in 
the  community  can  be  made  available  to  all  the 
churches  in  the  community. 


64  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 


By  concerted  action  led  by  a local  federation,  some 
church  people  will  be  led  into  interdenominational 
mission  study  classes,  who  could  not  be  reached  at 
first  through  the  appeal  of  the  local  church. 

By  federation  leadership  the  attention  of  the  entire 
community  can  be  concentrated  on  certain  lines  of 
missionary  effort,  such  as  mission  study  or  particular 
methods  of  promotion  of  giving. 

Missionary  publicity,  the  enlistment  of  strong 
leaders  in  the  community,  and  securing  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  public  library,  the  schools,  and  other  civic 
agencies,  will  be  accomplished  more  easily. 

To  omit  world  missions  would  minimize  its  im- 
portance in  the  estimate  of  Christian  people. 

A local  federation  should  be  a clearing-house  for 
speakers,  and  in  making  local  arrangements  for  union 
missionary  meetings  of  all  kinds. 

If  the  cooperative  effort  of  the  local  churches  is 
concentrated  exclusively  on  local  needs,  it  will  tend 
to  narrow  their  vision  and  usefulness,  just  as  it  is 
narrowing  and  disastrous  for  a congregation  to  cen- 
ter its  thought  and  service  upon  its  local  field. 

The  position  of  those  whose  judgment  is  expressed 
in  the  preceding  statements  may  be  summarized  by  a 
single  sentence  from  each  of  two  letters: 

“A  local  federation  should  include  in  the  scope  of  its  activi- 
ties the  development  of  every  service  which  the  churches  per- 
form alone.” 

“It  will  be  expected  that  the  objectives  of  the  local  federa- 
tion will  include  all  the  things  really  worth  while  in  (local) 
church  work.” 

Reasons  against  a Committee  on  Missions 
The  Sub-commission  recognizes  at  the  outset  that 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


6S 


if  local  federations  should  include  missions  as  a 
standard  department  of  organization,  it  would  be 
done  without  justification  in  actual  achievement  in  the 
past.  It  is  apparent  that  the  hesitation  of  those  who 
do  not  favor  including  world  missions  in  the  pro- 
gram of  the  local  federation  is  in  the  first  place  due  in 
considerable  measure  to  this  fact,  that  as  yet  the  spon- 
taneous effort  of  local  federations  has  produced  no 
satisfactory  illustration  of  its  naturalness  and  practi- 
cability. It  should  be  stated  that  with  but  one  possi- 
ble exception  those  who  advise  against  the  plan  are 
favorable  to  the  federative  idea,  and  that  several  are 
men  of  national  and  international  reputation  and  influ- 
ence by  reason  of  their  relationship  to  cooperative 
religious  and  missionary  agencies. 

The  second  reason  is  that  to  do  so  would  be  con- 
trary to  the  nature  of  a community  federation.  The 
position  is  based  upon  the  principle  that  the  organiza- 
tions specifically  formed  to  carry  on  home  and  foreign 
missionary  work  (the  denominational  societies)  must 
in  the  nature  of  the  case  be  responsible  for  cultivating 
the  interest  and  cooperation  of  the  local  churches  in 
its  execution.  One  correspondent  writes: 

“My  main  reason  for  giving  a negative  answer  to  the  first 
question  is  the  belief  that  missions  is  a business  of  the  churches. 
They  are  suited  to  it.  They  are  organized  for  carrjdng  it  on, 
and  it  had  better  be  left  to  them.  The  pastor  who  works  in  a 
federation  has  to  put  five  or  ten  times  the  patience  and  industry 
into  the  enterprise  to  get  anything  done  in  comparison  to  the 
demands  upon  his  patience  and  industry  in  his  own  local  church. 
My  belief,  therefore,  would  be  that  world  missions  had  better 
be  left  to  the  denominational  body.” 

Another  correspondent  of  wide  experience  in  both 
denominational  and  interdenominational  missionary 
leadership  says: 


66  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 


“My  mind  is  clear  that  this  field  (of  cooperative  missionary 
endeavor)  should  not  be  further  complicated  by  agencies  seek- 
ing to  cultivate  missionary  enthusiasm  in  general  unrelated  to 
the  performance  of  specific  missionary  tasks.  . . . Until  the 
time  comes  that  federated  movements  shall  have  some  specific 
missionary  task  assigned  them,  the  missionary  propaganda  under 
their  auspices  will  be  limited.” 

A third  missionary  leader  writes: 

“From  the  standpoint  of  the  mission  boards,  it  is  question- 
able whether  the  local  federation  is  likely  to  be  very  effective 
in  this  realm.  After  all,  the  organizations  which  are  doing  the 
work  are  the  ones  which  can  press  its  claims  most  effectively. 
The  farther  off  we  get  from  administering  bodies,  the  weaker 
becomes  the  educational  and  financial  appeal.” 

Executive  Leadership  Needed 

The  Sub-commission  finds  that,  underlying  the 
judgment  of  those  who  believe  that  the  work  of  pro- 
moting missions  in  a community  through  a local 
federation,  is  not  desirable  or  practicable,  is  the 
conviction  that  successful  interchurch  effort  requires 
(i)  that  it  be  expended  in  the  main  upon  local  or  com- 
munity needs,  and  (2)  that  until  the  organization  of  a 
local  federation  is  strong  and  efficient,  and  its  em- 
ployed executive  staff  is  large  enough  and  is  specially 
trained  for  the  lines  of  leadership  involved  in  execu- 
tion of  a comprehensive  plan  of  work,  its  energy 
should  be  expended  upon  a prograrh  strictly  limited 
in  scope  and  bearing  exclusively  on  local  needs.  The 
lines  of  effort  suggested  are  local  evangelism,  social 
service,  church  extension,  reform  legislation,  law  en- 
forcement. Those  who  take  this  view  believe  that  to 
promote  missions  “would  require  specialization  and 
would  project  a program  which  would  throw  impos- 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


67 


sible  burdens  upon  one  executive  that  would  compro- 
mise the  program  and  render  less  efficient  his  service 
in  all  lines.”  Another  who  was  intimately  related  to 
the  only  known  long  and  successfully  sustained  com- 
munity missionary  program  yet  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Sub-commission  states  that  there  is  no 
limit  to  which  a federation  may  not  go  in  promoting 
the  work  of  missions  or  any  other  line  of  work  of  com- 
mon concern  to  the  churches,  provided  competent 
executive  leadership  is  employed.  He  advises  against 
undertaking  such  a program  of  missions  without  plac- 
ing a special  executive  of  large  capacity  for  leadership 
in  continuous  charge.  In  other  words  all  these  cor- 
respondents agree  that  the  form  of  a missionary  organ- 
ization without  power  equal  to  its  chosen  or  possible 
task  is  worse  than  nothing.  One  correspondent  puts 
it  thus : “The  chief  danger  in  any  federation  is  its 
strenuous  but  bloodless  character.  Nobody  loves  a 
federation.  It  is  in  the  way  of  many  interests  that  are 
dear  to  many  people,  and  the  chief  danger,  it  seems  to 
me,  would  be  the  going  through  of  a form  of  words 
and  motions  without  doing  anything  whatever.” 

The  conviction  has  grown  upon  the  Sub-commis- 
sion that  through  voluntary  cooperation  of  pastors 
and  members  of  churches  in  promotion  of  cooperative 
religious  work  of  any  kind,  including  home  and  for- 
eign missions,  specific  tasks  of  short  duration,  such  as 
planning  a simple  union  meeting,  may  be  undertaken, 
but  that  for  long,  sustained  efifort,  such  as  must  be 
adopted  when  the  task  is  educational  in  character,  or 
when  conditions  are  difficult,  interchurch  work  re- 
quires skilled  employed  leadership.  If  this  conclusion 
is  correct,  then  the  outlook  and  activities  of  local  fed- 
erations in  the  field  of  missions  must  for  the  present 


68  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


be  strictly  limited.  Cooperation  with  agencies  capable 
of  furnishing  skilled  executive  leadership  would  seem 
to  be  the  method  necessary  in  the  main,  until  enough 
competent  trained  executives  can  be  employed  by  the 
local  federation  to  conduct  a progressive  and  sustained 
effort  through  the  years,  utilizing  volunteer  workers 
as  much  as  may  be  possible  for  committee  direction 
and  in  extension  work,  but  providing  for  able  organi- 
zation and  direction  of  voluntary  service  by  a secre- 
tarial agent. 

Assuming  that  this  conclusion  will  meet  with  the 
approval  of  careful  students  of  cooperative  work,  the 
Sub-commission  now  proceeds  to  outline  the  practi- 
cable lines  of  work  in  promotion  of  home  and  foreign 
missions  open  to  a federation  of  churches  capable 
financially  and  otherwise  of  employing  and  directing 
trained  executives  enough  to  make  its  supervision 
powerful,  progressive,  and  permanent.  For  by  deter- 
mining wisely  what  types  of  cooperative  missionary 
effort  can  be  undertaken  by  a federation  and  choosing 
those  that  will  contribute  directly  to  the  efficiency  of 
local  churches  as  they  fulfil  their  duty  in  proper  rela- 
tion to  their  respective  denominational  missionary 
programs  and  administrative  societies,  some,  if  not 
all  the  objections  offered  by  those  who  doubt  the  abil- 
ity of  a federation  to  render  effective  service  in  this 
field  will  be  removed.  The  Sub-commission  believes 
that,  if  the  conditions  of  leadership  and  proper  rela- 
tionship to  denominational  ideals  and  agencies  are 
complied  with,  there  is  a valuable  missionary  service 
to  be  rendered  by  federations  of  churches.  For  there 
are  common  needs  not  yet  fully  met  by  direct  denomi- 
national cultivation  which  the  federations  can  help  the 
denominational  agencies  meet. 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


6g 


Common  Missionary  Needs  of  the  Churches 

Whatever  service  in  promotion  of  missions  a feder- 
ation of  churches  may  undertake  to  render  must  be 
justified  by  community  of  need  in  the  local  churches. 
It  should  be  repeated  that  it  is  not  the  function  of  the 
federation  to  take  the  place  of  the  denominational  mis- 
sionary agencies  in  I heir  eflfort  to  develop  the  mission- 
ary consciousness  of  the  local  church  membership,  to 
improve  their  missionary  methods,  perfect  their  mis- 
sionary organization,  or  increase  their  output  in 
money  and  gift  of  life.  The  only  opportunity  before 
the  federation  is  that  of  intelligent,  devoted  coopera- 
tion. Such  cooperation  must  be  true  to  the  principle 
of  denominational  right  and  authority  to  control  and 
direct  the  missionary  service  of  the  churches  in  the 
community  which  the  federation  seeks  to  serve.  The 
federation  can  never  have  any  right  to  the  control  of 
any  local  church  activity  in  any  community. 

The  chief  need  of  local  churches  in  respect  to 
missions  is  correct  and  compelling  information  con- 
cerning the  needs  of  the  fields  of  missionary  service, 
and  of  the  support  they  should  give  through  prayer, 
gifts  of  money,  life,  and  personal  service.  On  this  all 
consulted  by  the  Sub-commission  agree.  This  fact 
seems  to  determine  that  the  chief  method  should  be 
educational  in  character.  All  agree,  further,  that  most 
of  the  churches  are  only  beginning  to  understand  the 
principles  of  stewardship,  that  the  offering  of  life  of 
young  people  for  Christian  service  is  largely  undi- 
rected in  home,  church,  and  school,  and  that  mission- 
ary intercession,  the  chief  form  of  missionary  service, 
is  receiving  vastly  less  attention  than  the  promotion  of 
knowledge  and  giving.  Leadership  of  the  churches  in 


70  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 


promoting  gifts  of  money  in  proportion  to  ability  and 
need  and  properly  related  to  activities  to  promote 
knowledge  and  the  gift  of  life,  is  recognized  as  an 
urgent  need. 

Other  needs  mentioned  by  well-informed  counsel- 
ors include  that  of  maintaining  a community  bureau 
of  missionary  information  on  the  status  of  the  mis- 
sionary life  of  the  churches,  and  of  furnishing  knowl- 
edge of  coming  conferences,  conventions, institutes,  lec- 
tures, and  educational  programs.  Several  mention  the 
need  of  a sustained  missionary  publicity  campaign  in 
the  community.  Others  dwell  on  the  critical  need  for 
trained  leaders  for  teaching  missions  and  for  commit- 
tee service  in  the  local  church.  Several  plead  for  a 
permanent  local  agency,  unofficially  but  directly  re- 
sponsible to  the  churches  of  the  community,  to  enlist 
the  laymen  as  a group,  to  secure  the  sympathy  and 
intelligent  cooperation  of  public  libraries,  to  utilize 
the  leaders  of  educational  institutions,  including  the 
public  schools,  and  other  public  servants  and  officials, 
in  developing  among  all  the  people  a consciousness  of 
world-fellowship,  social  justice,  and  Christian  inter- 
national relations,  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all 
effort  to  Christianize  the  people  of  our  own  country 
and  the  peoples  of  the  world.  The  churches  particu- 
larly need  to  have  a sense  of  their  united  obligation  to 
the  whole  world.  Furthermore,  the  entire  community 
needs  to  know  the  point  of  view  and  the  purpose  of 
the  Christian  church  in  its  effort  to  establish  right- 
eousness in  the  world  through  pure  Christianity  ap- 
plied to  every  life  and  all  of  life. 

Special  Organisation  Required 

In  order  to  provide  churches  with  the  stimulus  in- 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


71 


variably  received  from  wholesome  contact  with  lead- 
ers of  other  churches  and  from  knowledge  of  their 
missionary  ideals,  methods,  problems,  and  achieve- 
ments, and  in  order  to  utilize  the  community  resources 
of  leadership  for  the  benefit  of  the  weaker  congrega- 
tions, an  interchurch  effort  seems  to  be  necessary. 
There  is  a like  necessity  for  a competent  federative 
agency  through  which,  as  a local  committee  of  ar- 
rangements, national  interdenominational  missionary 
agencies,  well  established  in  the  confidence  of  the 
leaders  of  the  denominational  missionary  societies  and 
of  the  Christian  public  at  large,  may  more  effectively 
and  continuously  serve  the  local  churches. 

The  Sub-commission  concludes  that  these  common 
needs  provide  opportunity  for  valuable  and  necessary 
service  by  the  missionary  department  of  a local  fed- 
eration. Already  communities  here  and  there  have 
undertaken  to  provide  for  themselves,  in  an  unsys- 
tematic way,  the  benefits  of  interchurch  cooperation 
in  one  or  several  of  the  ways  suggested  in  the  state- 
ment of  need.  An  ably  officered  and  financed  federa- 
tion, in  right  adjustment  to  the  local  churches,  the 
other  departments  of  the  federation,  and  the  estab- 
lished interdenominational  missionary  agencies, 
should  be  able  to  give  substantial  aid  to  denomina- 
tional societies  in  meeting  these  needs.  The  Sub-com- 
mission reiterates  the  conclusion  that  a large  program 
of  this  character  calls  for  technically  trained  leader- 
ship made  available  for  this  purpose,  and  that  without 
it  the  voluntary  efforts  of  representatives  of  local 
churches  should  be  limited  in  the  scope  and  time  re- 
quired, for  their  execution, 


72  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER^HURCH  WORK 


Missionary  Methods  for  Federations  of  Churches 

Inquiry  concerning  the  cooperative  methods  best 
designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  local  churches  elicited 
a rich  variety  of  suggestions.  These  are  here  tabu- 
lated with  little  or  no  comment. 

1.  The  conduct  of  institutes  for  the  training  of  the 
different  groups  of  local  church  missionary  workers, 
including  members  of  church  missionary  committees, 
teachers  and  officers  of  the  Sunday-schools,  leaders  of 
societies  of  young  people,  women,  men,  and  children, 
and  every-member-canvass  groups. 

2.  The  organization  and  conduct  at  regular  inter- 
vals of  normal  classes  to  train  mission  study  class 
leaders. 

3.  The  conduct  of  inspirational  conventions  to  give 
vision  to  the  rank  and  file  of  church-members  and  to 
provide  popular  instruction  concerning  the  outstand- 
ing features  of  a successful  local  church  missionary 
program. 

4.  Promotion  of  the  organization  of  missionary 
education,  prayer,  and  giving,  on  a community-wide 
scale,  and  of  the  actual  conduct  of  such  campaigns 
with  this  in  view.  When  practicable  each  of  these 
three  all-important  activities  should  be  carried  on 
simultaneously  for  the  whole  community,  though 
always  according  to  the  need  and  desires  of  the  local 
churches  as  represented  by  their  chosen  leaders  in  the 
missionary  committee  of  the  federation. 

5.  Helping  to  organize  and  develop  local  church 
missionary  committees,  and  helping  to  outline  their 
work  and  plans  more  successfully. 

6.  Recommending  the  courses  of  study  officially 
adopted  by  the  mission  boards,  and  acting  as  a bureau 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


73 


of  information  in  distribution  of  literature,  providing 
speakers  and  normal  class  leaders,  and  trainers  for 
the  groups  of  every-member  canvassers.  When  desir- 
able, literature  usually  sent  directly  to  the  local  church 
by  denominational  societies  can  be  distributed  to  local 
churches  in  the  effort  to  reach  every  one,  but  this 
should  be  undertaken  only  when  it  meets  with  the 
hearty  approval  of  the  local  missionary  leaders  of  the 
denomination  represented. 

7.  Conducting  a community  campaign  to  commend 
Christian  vocations  to  young  people,  and  to  help  par- 
ents, pastors,  and  other  local  church  leaders  in  their 
effort  to  qualify  as  wise  counselors  to  life-work  re- 
cruits, and  to  provide  adequately  for  their  training. 

8.  Aiding  churches  to  enlist  delegates  to  mission- 
ary summer  conferences. 

9.  Providing  good  and  growing  collections  of  mis- 
sionary books  in  town,  city,  and  church  libraries. 

10.  Conducting  a missionary  publicity  bureau,  to 
furnish  news  of  the  movements  and  work  of  mission- 
aries who  have  entered  service  from  the  local 
churches,  of  local  missionary  activities,  and  of  the  mis- 
sionary standing  and  achievements  of  these  churches. 
Occasional  articles  dealing  with  world  conditions,  giv- 
ing missionary  facts  of  large  significance  to  all  de- 
nominations and  to  the  general  public,  will  find  ready 
access  to  local  newspapers. 

11.  Bringing  to  the  community  each  year  for  a 
single  lecture  or  a series  of  lectures  or  addresses  out- 
standing missionary  messengers  of  national  and  world 
influence. 

12.  Conducting  missionary  exhibits  and  pageants. 

13.  Acting  as  a clearing-house  or  depository  for 
circulating  interdenominational  stereopticon  lectures. 


74  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


14.  Stimulating  prayer  for  missions  in  local 
churches  by  the  reestablishment  of  a monthly  service 
for  missionary  intercession,  and,  if  feasible,  in  the 
community  by  sectional  interdenominational  meetings 
for  prayer.  The  introduction  of  visiting  missionaries 
on  furlough  and  other  missionary  workers  can  be 
made  a valuable  feature  of  all  union  meetings,  whether 
for  educational  uses  or  exclusively  for  prayer. 

15.  Cooperation  with  pastors  and  church  commit- 
tees in  arranging  for  the  presentation  of  subjects  re- 
lated to  home  and  foreign  missions  either  by  the  pas- 
tors themselves  or  by  other  competent  speakers  resi- 
dent in  the  community  or  invited  from  the  outside. 
Interchanges  of  pulpits  for  missionary  addresses  by 
all  the  pastors  of  a city  on  a chosen  Sunday  have  been 
arranged  successfully. 

16.  Making  an  annual  missionary  survey  of  the 
churches  and  publishing  the  results.  An  annual  con- 
vention or  conference  of  selected  missionary  represen- 
tatives of  the  churches  has  been  found  to  be  a most 
valuable  aid  to  the  development  and  maintenance  of  a 
community  missionary  consciousness  and  program. 
The  chief  subjects  to  be  covered  in  such  a survey  are 
organization,  education,  prayer,  giving,  service,  and 
recruiting. 

17.  One  of  the  most  important  methods  is  that  of 
hearty  cooperation  with  such  agencies  as  the  Lay- 
men’s Missionary  Movement  and  the  Missionary  Edu- 
cation Movement.  The  relationships  between  federa- 
tions of  churches  and  these  two  organizations  will  be 
treated  in  a later  section  of  this  report. 

It  is  the  judgment  of  the  Sub-commission  that  the 
local  federation  should  not  undertake  to  raise  or  ad- 
minister missionary  funds,  unless  possibly  for  purely 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


75 


local  or  community  missionary  work.  Its  financial 
efforts  should  be  limited  in  the  local  churches  to  activ- 
ities that  produce  funds  for  and  through  the  estab- 
lished denominational  channels  and  agencies.  It 
should  npt  raise  funds  directly. 

Missionary  Organization  of  a Local  Federation 

By  common  agreement  the  supervising  organiza- 
tion of  a local  federation  for  promotion  of  missions 
should  be  the  same  as  for  any  other  standard  depart- 
ment. Usually  this  will  be  a department,  representa- 
tive of  the  different  denominational  groups.  It  should 
include  influential  workers  who  are  capable  of 
developing  suitable  plans  and  policies  in  harmony 
with  those  of  other  departments  of  the  federation  and 
suitable  to  the  denominational  groups  which  the  fed- 
eration exists  to  serve.  Pastors,  laymen,  women,  and 
young  people  should  be  included.  The  size  of  the 
department  will  be  determined  in  each  instance  by  the 
character  of  the  efforts  to  be  put  forth  and  the  agen- 
cies in  the  local  church  through  which  the  plans  of 
the  federation  are  to  be  made  effective.  In  small  com- 
munities every  congregation  might  be  represented, 
but  usually  a relatively  small  department  will  be 
chosen.  A department  membership  of  fifteen,  if  care- 
fully chosen,  will  usually  meet  the  need.  One  corre- 
spondent proposed  that  every  church  cooperating  in 
the  federation  be  represented  by  one  member,  and  that 
in  large  communities  with  many  churches,  an  execu- 
tive committee  be  chosen  from  the  general  department 
thus  formed.  The  chairman  of  the  department  should 
be  a member  of  the  exceptive  committee  of  the  federa- 
tion. 


;6  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


The  department  should  be  responsible  to  the  gov- 
erning committee  of  the  federation  and  should  make 
an  annual  written  report  thereto.  It  should  be 
financed  by  the  federation  as  in  the  case  of  other 
departments.  Its  point  of  contact  with  the  local 
church  will  ordinarily  be  the  church  missionary 
committee.  In  case  comprehensive  community  cam- 
paigns require  it,  sectional  committees  may  be  formed, 
or  a program  may  be  executed  by  means  of  estab- 
lished or  specially  organized  denominational  com- 
mittees. In  such  cases  the  representatives  on  the 
committee  of  the  federation  will  be  members  of  their 
respective  denominational  committees,  if  not  chair- 
men. 

It  is  important  that  in  the  membership  of  the 
department  should  be  found  capable  representatives  of 
Sunday-schools,  young  people’s,  women’s  and  men’s 
organizations,  and  also  of  such  agencies  as  Sunday- 
school  superintendents’  unions,  federations  of  women’s 
missionary  societies,  local  unions  of  young  people’s 
societies,  and  kindred  community  agencies  vitally  re- 
lated to  the  missionary  propaganda.  Every  effort 
should  be  made  to  give  the  committee  a worthy  place 
in  the  regard  of  the  federation  and  the  community.  It 
must  not  be  a side  issue.  The  missionary  interests 
cannot  be  satisfactorily  represented  and  conserved  by 
an  overloaded  general  committee  of  the  federation,  or 
by  a single  overloaded  executive. 

Relationships  of  the  Department  of  Home  and 
Foreign  Missions 

The  investigations  of  the  Sub-commission  on  the 
matter  of  relationships  were  explicit  and  extensive.  In 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


77 


part  the  results  of  the  inquiry  have  been  given  in 
the  sections  on  missionary  responsibility,  methods, 
and  organization.  There  is  remarkable  unanimity  of 
judgment  in  the  matter  of  desirable  relationships, 
though  some  correspondents  evidently  have  not  fore- 
seen the  largeness  of  the  possible  task  nor  observed  the 
need  of  discussing  relationships  at  all. 

The  local  federation,  through  its  missionary  depart- 
ment, must  adjust  its  plans  and  activities  to  the  fol- 
lowing working  units : 

1.  The  local  church. 

2.  The  several  denominational  organizations  of  the 
churches  within  the  community  where  there  are  such. 

3.  The  department  of  the  federation  on  religious 
education. 

4.  The  existing  local  federative  agencies,  such  as 
the  Sunday-school  Superintendents’  Union,  the  Sun- 
day-school Graded  Union,  the  Inter-Sunday-school, 
Older  Boys’  and  Girls’,  and  Young  People’s  Councils, 
the  Organized  Adult  Bible  Class  Federations  (Men 
and  Women),  the  Women’s  Missionary  Federation, 
and  the  Christian  Endeavor  Union. 

5.  The  denominational  mission  boards. 

6.  The  established  interdenominational  missionary 
agencies,  such  as  the  Home  Missions  Council,  the 
Missionary  Education  Movement,  the  Laymen’s  Mis- 
sionary Movement,  the  Council  of  Women  for  Home 
Missions,  the  Federation  of  Woman’s  Boards  of  For- 
eign Missions,  and  the  Foreign  Missions  Conference 
of  North  America. 

Local  Denominational  Forces 

In  relation  to  the  local  church  (item  i)  the  rela- 


78  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 


tionship  is  purely  advisory.  It  is  the  same  with  refer- 
ence to  the  several  denominational  organizations  of 
communities  large  enough  to  have  them  (item  2),  ex- 
cept where  the  department  is  made  up  of  representa- 
tives elected  by  these  organizations,  when  it  must  in 
the  nature  of  the  case  be  cooperative  in  a more  or  less 
responsible  character,  reporting  to  these  bodies. 
Usually,  however,  the  committee  will  be  independent 
of  these  bodies. 

Committee  on  Religious  Education 

In  relation  to  the  department  on  religious  educa- 
tion (item  3)  there  will  be  need  for  harmony  of  educa- 
tional plan  at  every  point.  This  will  require  constant 
consultation  between  chairmen  and  thorough  coordi- 
nation of  effort,  so  as  to  present  a united  scheme  for 
training  leaders.  In  so  far  as  possible  the  training  of 
teachers  for  systematic  missionary  instruction  should 
be  given,  by  arrangement  of  the  two  departments,  in 
connection  with  the  program  of  any  existing  commu- 
nity school  of  religion  or  institute  covering  the  broad 
field  of  local  church  work.  Care  must  be  taken  in  these 
general  institutes  or  schools  of  methods  that  the  scope 
of  the  missionary  educational  plans  for  the  churches  of 
a community  be  not  that  of  a single,  elective,  un- 
graded course.  It  has  become  plain  that  every  teacher 
and  officer  of  every  grade  in  Sunday-schools  and  many 
leaders  of  other  local  church  agencies  require  specific 
graded  instruction.  It  rarely  happens,  however,  that 
all  of  the  teachers  employed  for  the  program  of  a com- 
munity “school  of  religion”  are  competent  to  give  mis- 
sionary instruction  its  proper  place  in  the  training 
offered.  There  will  often  be  need,  therefore,  of  train- 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


79 


ing  institutes  purely  missionary  in  character,  even  in 
the  few  communities  where  the  more  elaborate  schools 
of  methods  are  successfully  conducted.  In  communi- 
ties where  such  schools  are  not  held  regularly,  special 
missionary  institutes  will  be  required.  The  depart- 
ment on  missions  should,  however,  foster  every  effort 
to  bring  the  training  of  religious  teachers  under  one 
unified  administration  through  which  its  importance 
may  be  magnified  and  its  success  largely  extended. 

Local  Federative  Agencies 

In  the  case  of  existing  federative  agencies  (item  4) 
it  should  be  the  policy  of  the  department  to  encourage 
the  introduction  of  missionary  instruction  and  to  pro- 
mote all  other  forms  of  missionary  activity  in  the  local 
churches  through  them.  It  is  always  better  to  energize 
and  utilize  the  services  of  a successful  existing  agency 
than  to  duplicate  or  compete  with  it  through  a separ- 
ate organization.  To  facilitate  this  cooperation  it  will 
usually  be  wise  to  invite  a representative  from  each 
such  agency  to  membership  in  the  department. 

In  the  matter  of  relationship  to  the  mission  boards 
(item  5)  all  are  agreed,  the  Sub-commission  included, 
that  there  should  be  very  little,  if  any  connection.  If 
the  department  is  properly  formed  in  relation  to  the 
local  churches  and  denominational  groups  of  the  com- 
munity to  which  it  sustains  a purely  advisory  relation- 
ship, the  local  church  missionary  leaders  may  be  ex- 
pected to  reflect  the  denominational  needs  and  ideals 
sufficiently  to  guide  the  department  without  confusing 
the  situation  through  correspondence  and  other  con- 
tact between  the  department  and  the  boards.  In  the 
main  the  local  churches  should  be  undisturbed  in 


8o  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


their  relationship  to  their  national  missionary  societies 
on  the  one  hand,  and  their  community  denominational 
agencies  on  the  other.  If  a federation  succeeds,  how- 
ever, in  launching  and  maintaining  a progressive  mis- 
sionary policy  of  any  kind  requiring  information  that 
board  secretaries  alone  can  furnish  accurately  and  ef- 
fectively, the  department  should  make  it  a point  to 
approach  the  boards  directly,  provided  there  is  not 
some  existing  interdenominational  agency  through 
which  the  information  can  be  secured  without  exten- 
sive effort. 

National  Federative  Agencies 

In  the  case  of  established  and  recognized  inter- 
denominational national  cooperative  agencies  (item 
6)  clear  judgment  was  expressed  by  all  correspon- 
dents that  the  relationship  should  be  that  of  closest 
cooperation.  It  is  clear  that  unless  a federation  is  thor- 
oughly organized,  well  financed,  and  ably  led  by  ex- 
ecutive officers  specially  qualified  to  conduct  the  varied 
activities  of  a cooperative  character  likely  to  be  un- 
dertaken in  a community,  and  unless  such  officers  have 
freedom  to  give  the  time  and  energy  required  to  co- 
operate with  these  missionary  agencies,  it  would  be 
prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  churches  and  the  de- 
nominations of  which  they  are  a part  and  to  these 
agencies  to  commit  their  interests  to  the  federation  for 
local  leadership.  On  the  other  hand  wherever  and 
whenever  such  agencies  have  plans  of  value  to  the 
communities  in  which  federations  exist,  and  when  the 
leaders  of  the  federations  consider  it  to  be  their  func- 
tion to  place  their  missionary  organization  at  the  dis- 
posal of  such  agencies  for  the  accomplishment  of  their 
purpose,  it  should  be  the  policy  of  such  agencies  to 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


8i 


join  forces  with  the  federation  in  heartiest  goodwill 
and  for  the  common  good. 

The  replies  of  correspondents  harmonize  in  general 
with  this  position.  One  states  that  the  local  federa- 
tion should  be  the  “local  arm”  of  these  interdenomina- 
tional agencies.  Several  assert  that  the  federation 
should  work  only  along  those  lines  on  which  the  de- 
nominational boards  agree,  as  represented  by  such 
agencies  as  are  generally  endorsed  by  the  boards.  All 
agree  that  the  relationship  should  be  unofficial.  One 
suggests  that  the  federation  should  “articulate”  the 
missionary  activities  of  national  cooperative  agencies. 
Still  another  gives  the  judgment  that  the  local  federa- 
tion, generally  unable  to  undertake  a highly  special- 
ized missionary  program  under  its  own  employed 
leadership,  should  seek  and  honor  the  advice  of  these 
agencies. 

Authority  of  Local  Federation 

The  Sub-commission  concludes  that  the  local  fed- 
eration has  no  right  to  attempt  to  exercise  authority 
over  any  agency  not  organically  related  to  it.  The 
agencies  enumerated  (item  6)  are  in  no  wise  under 
the  official  supervision  of  the  Federal  Council,  or 
its  Commission  on  Interchurch  Federations,  or  of  local 
federations.  They  are  differently  constituted  in  rela- 
tion to  the  mission  boards,  but  all  exist  to  foster  the 
influence  of  the  boards  as  they  cultivate  the  churches 
of  their  respective  communions.  Should  the  local  fed- 
eration seek  to  govern  the  activities  of  these  agencies 
in  their  usual  service,  they  would  not  only  be  assum- 
ing an  authority  not  naturally  belonging  to  them,  but 
would  be  in  danger  of  becoming  involved  in  contro- 
versy as  a result  of  which  the  service  of  the  local  fed- 


82  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


eration  to  the  community  would  be  impaired,  and  the 
constitutional  basis  of  the  Federal  Council  itself  be 
questioned.  The  principle  involved  is  of  first  impor- 
tance. It  applies  not  alone  to  the  discussion  of  rela- 
tionships to  national  interdenominational  missionary 
agencies,  but  to  a large  number  of  interdenomina- 
tional, undenominational,  and  independent  societies 
that  are  non-missionary  in  character.  If  the  service 
of  all  such  agencies  is  to  have  continued  free  course, 
some  other  theory  of  relationship  to  the  community 
than  through  and  by  consent  or  authority  of  the  local 
federation  must  be  found. 

The  investigations  of  the  Sub-commission  have  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  in  a number  of  cities  the  leaders  of 
local  federations  have  assumed  the  authority  to  decide 
whether  and  when  an  activity  intended  to  foster  the 
missionary  efficiency  of  the  local  churches  should  be 
undertaken  by  national  interdenominational  agencies. 
In  some  cities  investigation  by  one  or  more  of  these 
national  agencies  has  led  their  responsible  agents  to 
decline  to  undertake  their  usual  forms  of  work  because, 
while  no  missionary  organization  was  provided  by  the 
local  federation,  its  leaders  declined  to  cooperate,  or 
because,  if  provided,  it  was  not  qualified  to  promote 
the  plans  in  question.  In  some  cases  the  local  federa- 
tion has  prevented  or  discouraged  effort  of  a coopera- 
tive missionary  character  when  proposed,  on  the 
ground  that  the  federation  could  foster  only  one  or  a 
limited  number  of  activities  in  a given  year,  and  there- 
fore the  missionary  program  must  wait  until  others 
had  been  executed.  It  is  gratifying  to  report  that  in 
several  cases  local  federations  have  united  their  forces 
gladly  and  effectively  with  such  agencies  and  have 
accomplished  large  results  thereby. 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


83 


Cooperation  the  Natural  Basis 

The  Sub-commission  states  these  conditions  frank- 
ly in  order  to  aid,  if  possible,  in  choosing  a theory  of 
relationship  which  will  work  out  to  the  utmost  advan- 
tage of  the  local  churches,  the  local  federation,  and  the 
national  interdenominational  missionary  agencies 
alike.  Furthermore,  the  Sub-commission  holds  that 
the  fullest  measure  of  cooperation  possible  should  be 
sought  mutually  by  the  local  federation  and  the  inter- 
denominational agencies  in  arranging  for  missionary 
activities  for  the  community  as  a whole.  By  consul- 
tation favorable  seasons  for  special  missionary  pro- 
grams or  gatherings  can  be  selected,  and  the  largest 
possible  measure  of  coordination  and  unification  of 
eflfort  be  guaranteed.  It  would  seem  to  be  the  duty 
and  privilege  of  national  agencies  to  seek  cooperation 
and  counsel  of  the  local  federation  and  to  help  in  the 
effort  to  unify  and  articulate  the  community-wide 
interdenominational  religious  efforts  by  avoiding  con- 
flicts. When  the  organization  and  executive  leader- 
ship of  the  local  federation  are  found  to  be  satisfac- 
tory for  the  execution  of  a contemplated  plan  of  action 
proposed  by  a national  cooperative  missionary  agency 
there  should  be  no  hesitation  in  placing  large  execu- 
tive responsibility  upon  the  federation,  in  working 
harmony  with  the  leadership  of  the  agency  proposing 
such  cooperation. 

Aid  of  National  Federative  Agencies  Essential 

Where  local  conditions  are  such  that  acceptable 
leadership  is  not  available,  the  Sub-commission  holds 
that  the  local  federation  should  seek  and  welcome 


84  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


whatever  leadership  the  national  agencies  can  furnish. 
Such  an  attitude  would  confirm  the  theory  of  relation- 
ship that  the  local  federation  exists  to  serve  the 
churches  and  that  one  effective  way  of  doing  this  is  to 
help  them  secure  the  service  of  these  national  agencies 
when  local  conditions  of  missionary  interest  can  be 
improved  thereby. 

The  Sub-commission  holds  that,  while  the  local 
federation  practically  may  be  unequal  to  constant  and 
progressive  promotion  of  home  and  foreign  missions, 
the  fact  does  not  warrant  the  policy  of  rotation  of 
effort,  i.e.,  that  local  evangelism  shall  have  right  of 
way  in  one  year,  law  enforcement  in  a second,  and 
social  service  in  a third,  and  that  in  the  distant  future 
a missionary  effort  will  be  scheduled.  The  scope  and 
urgency  of  the  work  of  the  churches  in  their  mainte- 
nance of  world-wide  missions  require  unceasing  effort 
to  cultivate  the  devotion  of  the  supporting  constitu- 
ency. As  long  as  the  catalog  of  common  missionary 
needs  of  the  churches  remains  what  it  is,  there  can  be 
no  acceptance  of  the  theory  that  missionary  stimulus 
should  not  be  provided  regularly.  This  fact  enforces 
the  claim  that  when  local  federations  are  unable  to 
maintain  a reasonably  constant  and  progressive  mis- 
sionary program,  into  which  the  interdenominational 
agencies  may  gear  whenever  their  resources  of  leader- 
ship will  permit,  it  should  be  the  policy  of  the  federa- 
tion to  seek  by  positive  and  whole-hearted  measures 
to  enlist  the  aid  of  these  agencies.  Could  such  a 
theory  of  relationship  prevail,  instead  of  the  present 
hesitating  and  defensive  attitude  of  some  of  these 
agencies  toward  local  federations,  the  way  would 
appear  greatly  to  fortify  the  local  federations  in 
their  service  to  the  community.  It  would  also  strik- 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


85 


ingly  simplify  the  problem  of  organization  for 
these  national  agencies  which  in  the  main  need 
only  an  efficient  local  cooperative  committee  as  a 
point  of  contact  in  order  to  release  their  vital  ener- 
gies. Such  a committee  should  be  flexible  as  a 
nucleus  around  which  could  be  gathered  specialists 
from  the  community  from  time  to  time  to  manage  par- 
ticular and  temporary  forms  of  work,  while  remain- 
ing constant  in  its  membership  of  those  who  are  sur- 
veying the  entire  missionary  life  of  the  churches,  and 
acting  for  them  in  securing  aid  whenever  and  wher- 
ever it  is  reliably  available.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  such 
agencies  as  the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement  and 
the  Missionary  Education  Movement  would,  under 
these  conditions,  gladly  join  forces  with  federations 
so  desiring  it,  in  an  effort  to  inaugurate  and  maintain  a 
program  of  missionary  activity  progressively  adapted 
to  local  conditions.  Such  a policy  would  guarantee 
cooperative  study  of  the  problems  of  local  federative 
missionary  effort.  It  would  provide  for  continuity  in 
training  of  leaders.  It  would  make  available  the  rich 
experience  of  such  agencies,  and  also  the  personal  co- 
operation of  their  most  experienced  executive  officers. 
The  Sub-commission  feels  that  only  upon  some  such 
foundation  can  the  two  types  of  organizations  unite 
successfully  in  cultivation  of  the  local  fields,  and  that 
failure  thus  to  cooperate  would  be  most  detrimental 
to  the  cause  of  missions. 

!:i. 

Creating  a Community  Missionary  Consciousness 

The  development  of  a community  religious  con- 
sciousness and  the  direction  of  that  united  conscious- 


86  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


ness  toward  common  ends  constitute  the  primary  duty 
of  a local  federation. 

Successful  Stewardship  Campaign 

With  the  exception  of  the  city  of  Toronto,  the 
commission  has  been  unable  to  find  any  community  in 
which  a sustained  missionary  financial  effort  on  a 
community  basis  has  been  made  successfully.  In  To- 
ronto the  activity  which  so  profoundly  stirred  and  so 
highly  developed  the  missionary  efficiency  of  the 
churches  was  under  the  leadership  of  the  executive 
secretary  of  the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement  of 
Canada,  and  the  intelligent  and  highly  organized 
cooperation  of  an  able  body  of  Christian  laymen  and 
the  entire  official  staff  of  the  Canadian  mission  boards 
located  in  that  city.  For  a period  of  five  years 
steady  and  rapid  advance  in  the  benevolent  offerings 
for  all  purposes  was  made.  This  effort  was  directed 
almost  exclusively  toward  financial  ends.  When  the 
campaign  of  the  Laymen’s  Movement  was  extended 
throughout  the  Dominion,  and  the  concentrated  atten- 
tion of  the  leaders  was  in  large  measure  withdrawn, 
the  progress  was  halted  and  in  some  cases  decline  of 
gifts  resulted.  In  a number  of  cities  and  towns  in  the 
United  States  similar  efforts,  though  not  so  long  ex- 
tended, have  shown  the  possibilities  of  a simultaneous 
financial  activity  on  behalf  of  missions  at  home  and 
abroad. 

Successful  Educational  Campaigns 

In  a large  number  of  towns  and  cities  in  both  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  by  annual  efforts  of  repre- 
sentative missionary  leaders  of  diflferent  denomina- 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


87 


tions,  variously  organized  and  related,  the  work  of 
missionary  education  has  been  promoted  and  the 
training  of  leaders  fostered.  The  Missionary  Educa- 
tion Movement  exists  in  large  measure  to  promote 
such  activities.  The  Federation  of  Woman’s  Boards 
of  Foreign  Missions  and  the  Council  of  Women  for 
Home  Missions  have  directly  and  indirectly  been  in- 
strumental in  the  formation  of  large  numbers  of  com- 
munity federative  committees  to  promote  the  study  of 
missions  by  women.  These  efforts  indicate  the  prac- 
ticability of  service  by  a community  department  on 
home  and  foreign  missions  whenever  the  conditions  of 
efficient  organization  and  service  are  fulfilled. 

The  Sub-commission  finds  that  by  the  use  of  sev- 
eral or  all  of  the  methods  heretofore  noted  it  is  practi- 
cable to  increase  missionary  knowledge,  improve 
methods  of  organization,  instruction,  and  giving,  and 
greatly  to  multiply  missionary  intercession,  and  that 
by  accomplishing  this  through  the  use  of  cooperative 
activities  the  missionary  consciousness  of  the  Chris- 
tian community  will  be  correspondingly  intensified 
and  developed.  In  fact,  the  beneficial  results  of  inspi- 
rational conventions  and  conferences  are  usually  lost 
in  large  part  because  efforts  to  conserve  them  by  more 
normal  and  by  continuous  methods  are  not  employed. 
It  is  at  this  point  that  the  justification  for  the  exist- 
ence of  a department  on  missions  is  demonstrated.  The 
failure  of  many  congregations  to  understand  the  very 
missionary  character  of  the  churches  which  they  com- 
pose, and  the  necessarily  distant,  infrequent,  and  rela- 
tively ineffective  contact  of  many  churches  with  the 
national  missionary  agencies  to  which  they  owe  their 
allegiance,  emphasize  the  necessity  of  local  stimulus 
not  always  to  be  found  within  the  local  churches 


88  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


themselves,  but  surely  to  be  discovered  if  the  re- 
sources in  leadership  of  the  entire  Christian  commu- 
nity are  utilized  on  behalf  of  all.  As  a local  church  is 
profited  by  a consciousness  of  denominational  posi- 
tion and  power,  so  the  churches  of  a community,  be- 
cause of  proximity,  and  bound  together  by  the  kinship 
of  common  conditions  and  needs,  may  by  cooperation 
be  made  to  feel  themselves  a part  of  the  church  uni- 
versal which  it  is  the  common  purpose  of  all  Christian 
churches  and  communions  to  establish  through  the 
process  of  world  evangelism.  It  is  obvious,  however, 
that  this  effect  in  relation  to  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions will  be  developed  more  slowly  than  in  connec- 
tion with  other  phases  of  cooperative  service.  The 
Sub-commission  agrees  with  the  judgment  of  one  of 
its  members  who  wrote:  “I  believe  cooperative  mis- 
sionary effort  should  not  be  forced  upon  the  local 
federations.  They  will  naturally  come  to  an  effective 
organization  for  the  purpose  indicated,  but  they  can- 
not do  this  effectively  without  a larger  organization 
than  most  of  them  now  have  or  are  likely  to  gain  at 
the  start.  These  federations  have  grown  out  of  the 
desire  to  overcome  duplication  and  conflicts  in  the  lo- 
cal field,  and  the  sense  of  efficiency  in  conducting  mis- 
sionary propaganda  on  the  same  basis  must  be  a mat- 
ter of  growth.” 

Dangers  to  be  Avoided 

The  Sub-commission  calls  attention  to  the  follow- 
ing dangers  that  should  be  avoided  in  any  community 
where  the  local  federation  desires  to  undertake  the 
development  of  the  missionary  spirit  and  the  efficiency 
of  missionary  service : 

Attempting  too  much  at  the  beginning. 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


89 


Placing  disproportionate  emphasis  on  either  home 
or  foreign  phases  of  the  work  of  world  missions. 

Attempting  missionary  administration  or  interfer- 
ing with  the  established  mission  boards  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  rightfully  appointed  task. 

Actually  collecting  funds. 

Undue  alliance  with  the  churches  of  one  denomi- 
nation. 

Too  intensive  cultivation  of  the  local  churches,  as 
contrasted  with  the  training  of  leaders  and  emphasiz- 
ing ideals.  Attempts  arbitrarily  to  change  methods  of 
local  churches. 

Failure  to  cooperate  equally  with  all  interdenomi- 
national agencies. 

Creating  a federation  self-consciousness,  by  mak- 
ing the  organization  an  end  in  itself.  Desire  for  self- 
glorification. 

Doing  superficial  work. 

Failure  to  urge  church-members  to  function 
through  their  own  churches. 

Failure  to  select  as  members  of  the  department 
those  who  are  actually  qualified  to  lead  the  coopera- 
tive work  for  which  the  program  adopted  calls. 

Summary 

The  Sub-commission  has  made  no  attempt  to  out- 
line the  details  of  organization  and  promotion  of  spe- 
cific forms  of  cooperative  missionary  effort  in  a com- 
munity. Any  well-organized  department  will  be  able 
to  discover  experienced  workers  enough  in  the  local 
churches  to  develop  successful  plans,  especially  if 
close  relationships  are  maintained  with  the  leaders  of 
the  national  interdenominational  missionary  agencies. 


90  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


The  whole  matter  may  be  summarized  by  stating  that 
the  local  federations  should  adopt  and  use  whatever 
cooperative  methods  will  help  to  fulfil  the  following 
primary  objectives:  (i)  to  improve  the  missionary 
organization  of  the  churches;  (2)  to  foster  mission- 
ary education;  (3)  to  increase  the  volume  of  mission- 
ary intercession ; (4)  to  promote  giving  according  to 
New  Testament  principles;  (5)  to  organize  and  direct 
personal  missionary  service  in  and  near  the  commu- 
nity; (6)  to  enlist  and  provide  for  the  training  of 
recruits  for  missionary  life  service;  and  (7)  that  these 
may  become  a reality,  to  train  leaders  competent  to 
inspire  and  guide  the  entire  membership  of  the 
churches  in  ever-expanding  effort  to  extend  and  estab- 
lish Christianity  in  the  whole  earth. 


IV 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMISSION 
ON  A DEPARTMENT  OF 
SOCIAL  SERVICE 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

Tippy,  Rev.  Worth  M.,  Chairman  New  York  City 

Executive  Secretary,  Commission  on  the  Church  and 
Social  Service,  Federal  Council  of  Churches 

Atkinson,  Rev.  Henry  A.  Boston,  Mass. 

Secretary,  Social  Service  Department,  Congregational 
Education  Society 

Batten,  Rev.  Samuel  Z.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Secretary,  Department  of  Social  Service  and  Brother- 
hood, American  Baptist  Publication  Society 

Beardsley,  H.  M.  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Attorney 

Bellamy,  George  A.  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Head  Worker,  Hiram  House 

Crouch,  Rev.  Frank  M.  New  York  City 

Evecutive  Secretary,  Joint  Commission  on  Social  Ser- 
vice, Protestant  Episcopal  Church 

Eagan,  J.  J.  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Gregg,  Frank  M.  Cleveland,  Ohio 

President,  Cleveland  Macaroni  Company 

Mangold,  Prof.  George  B.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Director,  Missouri  School  of  Social  Economy 

Meddis,  C.  j.  Louisville,  Ky. 

Executive  Secretary,  Men’s  Federation  of  Louisville 

Ward,  Rev.  Harry  F.  Boston,  Mass. 

Secretary,  Methodist  Federation  for  Social  Service 

Zahniser,  Rev.  Charles  R.  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Executive  Secretary,  Pittsburgh  Council  of  the  Churches 
of  Christ 

The  field  of  social  service  includes  all  the  varied 
efforts  and  agencies  by  which  men  are  working  to- 
gether for  the  welfare  and  progress  of  humanity. 


91 


92  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


There  can  be  here  no  sharply  defined  line  where  so- 
cial service  leaves  off  and  the  ministry  to  the  soul  be- 
gins, but  in  every  large  community,  and  increasingly 
in  small  communities,  a variety  of  agencies  and  move- 
ments have  arisen  which  are  clearly  defined  as  social 
service.  The  problem  of  the  Department  of  Social 
Service  is  to  lead  the  churches  into  cooperation  with 
these  agencies,  and,  as  an  independent  force,  into  the 
fields  of  social  effort. 

I.  Departmental  Organization 

In  going  over  the  reports  of  social  work  being  done 
by  federations  now  in  existence,  it  is  apparent  that 
most  of  them  have  a series  of  independent  and  discon- 
nected welfare  departments.  One  gets  an  impression 
of  departments  organized  on  an  opportunist  basis  in- 
stead of  according  to  a concerted  plan. 

The  Sub-Commission  recommends  that  each  fed- 
eration organize  one  comprehensive  Department  of 
Social  Service ; and  that  under  this  department  there 
be  created  committees  covering  such  forms  of  social 
service  as  appear  desirable  to  undertake. 

The  Sub-Commission  suggests  that  the  Department 
of  Social  Service  be  managed  by  a Committee  of  Di- 
rection, consisting  of  its  chairman  and  the  chairmen 
of  the  subcommittees  of  the  department;  also  with 
the  president  of  the  federation  and  its  general  secre- 
tary as  members  ex-officio. 

The  Committee  of  Direction  should  meet  regularly 
at  least  every  month,  and  preferably  every  week,  and 
subcommittees  likewise  should  have  regular  and  fre- 
quent meetings.  The  closer  and  more  continuous  their 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


93 


contact  with  the  work  in  hand,  the  more  effective  it 
will  be. 

The  subcommittees  of  the  department  are  as  im- 
portant in  their  way  as  the  Committee  of  Direction, 
and  the  selection  of  their  personnel  should  be  scru- 
tinized with  the  greatest  care.  As  a rule  all  members 
of  committees  should  be  considered  in  advance,  and 
their  promise  of  service  secured,  before  nomination  or 
appointment. 

If  members  of  committees  can  be  induced  to  con- 
centrate their  services  mainly  upon  the  work  of  the 
department,  instead  of  accepting  membership  on  dif- 
ferent committees  and  organizations,  it  will  add 
greatly  to  their  joy  in  the  work  and  to  the  influence 
of  the  department. 

I.  Initial  Organization 

The  Sub-Commission  recommends  a simple  initial 
organization  of  a Department  of  Social  Service,  addi- 
tional organization  to  be  undertaken  only  after  a con- 
siderable period  of  experience.  For  cities  it  suggests 
three  committees: 

a.  Social  Betterment 

To  include:  charities  and  welfare  work;  coopera- 
tion with  community  agencies  and  departments  of  the 
local  government  dealing  with  such  problems  as  pub- 
lic recreation,  public  health,  and  juvenile  courts. 

b.  Civic  Relations 

To  include:  law  enforcement,  temperance,  social 
hygiene,  legislation,  education  in  citizenship,  munici- 
pal efficiency,  relations  to  the  local  government  other 
than  its  welfare  departments. 

c.  Industrial  Relations 


94  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


To  include : one  day  of  rest  in  seven,  the  short  hour 
day  in  long-  hour  trades,  unemployment,  the  living 
wage,  industrial  welfare  of  women  and  girls,  health 
and  safety  of  workers,  legislation  affecting  industrial 
conditions,  cooperation  between  employers  and  em- 
ployees, the  promotion  of  industrial  democracy. 

These  committees  are  sufficiently  comprehensive 
and  fundamental  to  allow  a high  development  of  the 
Department  of  Social  Service,  while  at  the  same  time 
they  simplify  organization  and  administration.  It  is 
important  to  establish  permanently  what  is  under- 
taken and  to  undertake  new  work  only  when  that 
which  is  in  hand  is  firmly  established. 

In  villages  and  small  towns  simpler  organization  is 
preferable.  Instead  of  three  subcommittees,  one  gen- 
eral Department  of  Social  Service  without  permanent 
subdivisions  is  advisable.  It  is  easy  to  create  commit- 
tees when  they  are  manifestly  needed. 

2.  Leadership 

The  success  of  a 'Department  of  Social  Service  will 
depend  finally  upon  its  leadership.  If  the  general  sec- 
retary of  the  federation  has  not  had  experience  as  a 
social  worker,  it  will  be  difficult  for  him  to  direct  the 
federation  as  a social  force.  If  he  has  not  had  this 
training,  the  need  of  experienced  direction  in  the  social 
work  of  the  federation  will  be  met  if  one  of  the  out- 
standing social  workers  of  the  community  is  secured 
for  the  chairmanship  of  the  department. 

Modern  social  service  has  come  to  be  so  highly 
technical  and  departmentalized  that  churches  cannot 
get  far  unless  they  recognize  these  facts  in  their  own 
work.  Not  only  the  chairman  but  the  other  members 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


95 


of  the  committees  directing  the  work  of  the  depart- 
ment, whenever  possible,  should  be  specialists  in  par- 
ticular fields. 

Federations  that  finally  succeed  in  a large  way  will 
find  it  advisable  to  organize  on  the  basis  of  a salaried 
staff.  It  is  difficult  for  a federation  of  churches  in  a 
large  city  to  lead  so  many  and  such  strong  churches 
effectively  and  to  develop  their  united  community 
power,  unless  it  is  able  to  do  intensive  work  on  a basis 
of  high  technical  efficiency.  This  requires  an  expert 
handling  of  religious  education,  social  service,  comity, 
and  religious  work.  The  field  of  social  service,  includ- 
ing as  it  does  relations  to  so  many  influential  social 
agencies,  to  the  local  government,  to  legislation,  and 
to  difficult  industrial  problems,  should  have,  whenever 
possible,  the  full  time  of  an  experienced  secretary  as 
assistant  to  the  general  secretary.  This,  however, 
must  not  be  at  the  expense  of  the  fullest  possible  de- 
velopment of  voluntary  service. 

3.  Importance  of  Cooperation 

Certain  dangers  beset  churches  when  they  enter  the 
field  of  social  service.  The  first  is  the  crusading 
method.  This  is  vicious  except  as  it  is  used  to  initiate 
or  establish  permanent  work  or  as  an  educational 
device  coupled  with  permanent  activity.  Heavy  drives 
that  continue  for  a brief  period  are  desirable  if  they 
are  used  by  permanent  organizations  which  fall  back 
at  once  upon  their  normal  work.  As  a rule,  plans  that 
work  steadily  as  part  of  a program  of  wide  cooperation 
are  most  effectual. 

The  second  danger  is  that  of  independent  action. 
Churches  are  strongly  tempted  to  go  by  themselves 


96  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


and  to  undertake  ambitious  pieces  of  work  that  have 
not  been  properly  forecasted  and  organized.  Indepen- 
dent action  by  churches  is  better  held  in  reserve  and 
used  when  necessary.  When  something  needs  to  be 
done,  as,  for  example,  the  elimination  of  a red  light 
district,  and  no  other  agencies  will  act  or  cooperate, 
the  church  should  be  willing  to  act  alone.  But  as  soon 
as  possible  it  should  get  the  other  forces  around  it,  and 
the  best  strategy  is  to  get  them  in  advance. 

The  principle  applies,  not  only  to  social  service 
agencies,  but  to  the  relations  of  federations  to  non- 
Protestant  religious  bodies,  such  as  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic, the  Greek  Catholic,  and  the  Jewish  communions.  It 
is  inadvisable,  at  least  at  the  present  time,  to  attempt 
organic  federation  with  these  bodies.  But  social  ser- 
vice is  largely  outside  the  field  of  religious  controversy, 
and  if  each  of  the  groups  represented  is  organized  in- 
dependently for  social  work,  then  it  is  possible  for 
them  to  cooperate  through  a general  committee  or  by 
informal  conference  on  specific  movements.  To  secure 
such  cooperation  is  highly  desirable  and  might  well 
be  a definite  policy  of  the  social  service  departments 
of  local  federations  of  churches. 

II.  Forms  of  Social  Work  Recommended  to 
Departments  of  Social  Service 

Forms  of  social  work  to  be  undertaken  by  Depart- 
ments of  Social  Service  will  depend  very  largely  upon 
local  needs  and  conditions.  The  more  original  the 
work  of  a department,  the  more  it  has  local  color  and 
adjustment,  the  better.  The  suggestions  which  follow 
are  mainly  collated  from  work  being  done  in  various 
church  federations. 


SOaAL  SERVICE 


97 


It  is  not  assumed  that  any  one  Department  of  So- 
cial Service  will  undertake  all  of  these  suggestions.  It 
is  always  safer  at  the  start  to  undertake  two  or  three 
vital  lines  of  work  and  then  to  enlarge  upon  these  ac- 
cording to  a program. 

It  is  not  possible  to  determine  here  what  social 
service  should  be  undertaken  by  the  church  and  what 
left  to  the  community  or  to  other  social  agencies;  or 
where  social  work,  carried  on  for  purposes  of  propa- 
ganda, should  after  a time  be  turned  over  to  other  com- 
munity agencies.  The  most  that  can  be  said  as  a work- 
ing principle  is  that  federations  should  not  as  a rule 
promote  work  which  is  being  done  adequately  by  other 
organizations,  but  should  then  cooperate,  and  that 
work  undertaken  should  be  given  over  when  it  can 
manifestly  be  better  done  by  other  agencies. 

I.  Joint  Service  with  Social  Agencies 

This  involves  organized  cooperation  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Social  Service  with  the  social  agencies  of  its 
community,  including  outdoor  relief  and  allied  depart- 
ments of  the  city  government.  All  of  these  agencies 
require  the  cooperation  of  the  churches,  and  the 
churches  are  in  a position  to  give  them  great  assis- 
tance, especially  by  educating  the  members  of  their 
congregations  to  their  support,  by  lending  them  work- 
ers, and  by  participating  in  public  campaigns  in  their 
behalf.  Churches  also  rightfully  belong  in  the  united 
action  of  community  agencies  by  which  in  the  future 
useless  agencies  are  eliminated,  new  agencies  set  up, 
imperfect  agencies  reconstructed,  and  duplicating  agen- 
cies combined.  This  work  has  been  highly  developed 
by  the  Federations  of  Cleveland  and  St.  Louis. 


98  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


But  churches  which  undertake  case  work  will  re- 
quire the  assistance  of  the  charities  of  their  community 
even  more  than  they  are  able  to  give  them  assistance 
in  return.  A Department  of  Social  Service  will  dis- 
cover this  as  soon  as  it  undertakes  to  put  through  im- 
portant social  work. 

2.  Civic  Relations 

These  include : 

Law  enforcement,  to  secure  and  protect  public 
morality,  public  health,  public  safety,  and  public  wel- 
fare in  multiplied  forms. 

Civic  action,  to  secure  honest  and  efficient  public 
administration,  especially  municipal  administration, 
and  usually  by  joint  effort  with  civic  organizations;  to 
participate  in  the  education  of  the  people  for  citizen- 
ship ; to  participate  in  civic  movements  which  require 
the  action  of  the  municipal  authorities;  to  make  the 
church  a force  for  clean  politics. 

Legislation,  having  to  do  with  all  kinds  of  forward- 
looking  measures,  local,  state,  and  national. 

The  state-wide  and  nation-wide  struggle  for  pro- 
hibition until  the  entire  country  is  dry,  and  perma- 
nently dry. 

Federations  will  find  the  civic  work  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Council  worthy  of  study. 

An  important  thing  to  be  said  in  regard  to  civic 
relations  is  that  in  no  other  field  of  its  work  is  it  so 
essential  for  a church  to  be  cooperative,  patient,  and 
constructive.  Criticism  of  public  officials  has  become 
a vice  with  churches  and  ministers.  Ministers’  asso- 
ciations have  been  accustomed  to  pass  resolutions  of 
censure  without  proper  investigation  and  without 


SOCIAL  ^SERVICE 


99 


giving  public  ofbcials  a chance  to  explain  them- 
selves or  to  correct  mistakes  or  to  change  policies. 
This  attitude  is  no  longer  justified  by  the  present  mu- 
nicipal movement,  which  is  introducing  efficiency  and 
honesty  into  the  government  of  cities. 

3.  Industrial  Conditions  and  Relations 

The  items  to  be  covered  under  industrial  condi- 
tions are : local  conditions  as  to  hours  of  labor,  wages, 
seven-day  work;  the  health  and  moral  safety  of  the 
workers,  particularly  women ; the  protection  of 
workmen  against  accidents  and  occupational  diseases ; 
legislation  affecting  the  welfare  of  workers ; conditions 
in  the  unorganized  trades;  the  industrial  status  of 
women  in  the  community;  the  study,  relief,  and  pre- 
vention of  unemployment. 

Industrial  relations  include  friendly  contact  of  the 
churches  with  organized  labor,  the  sending  of  minis- 
terial delegates  to  central  labor  bodies,  action  by 
churches  in  industrial  conflicts,  observance  of  Labor 
Sunday,  advocacy  of  arbitration,  conciliation,  and  con- 
ference, the  promotion  of  industrial  democracy. 

It  will  be  found  at  last  that  above  the  question  of 
wages  will  arise  the  right  of  the  workers  to  a fair  share 
in  the  control  and  management  of  industry  where  it 
directly  affects  their  own  welfare,  such  as  the  disci- 
pline of  the  shop,  security  of  position,  wages,  hours, 
and  conditions  of  labor.  Everything  they  possess  is 
here  at  stake.  While  such  collective  action  has  its 
grave  dangers,  it  is  as  essential  to  the  workers  as  to 
employers,  and  the  church  should  exert  its  influence 
and  direct  its  teaching  to  its  maintenance.  Depart- 
ments of  social  service  will  perform  a public  service 


100  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


if  they  promote  the  discussion  of  this  question  by 
study  groups,  in  public  meetings,  in  forums  and  men’s 
clubs,  and  by  conferences  between  employers  and 
workers,  which  the  churches  are  able  to  bring  about, 
since  both  are  represented  in  their  memberships. 

Each  of  these  subjects  opens  an  important  field  for 
investigation  and  effort,  a field  vitally  affecting  the 
welfare  of  large  numbers  of  people,  and,  since  it  is 
frequently  controversial,  one  in  which  it  is  necessary 
for  the  department  to  act  only  with  thorough  informa- 
tion, Speaking  generally,  it  is  best  to  take  up  one 
thing  at  a time  and  to  persist  in  it  until  something  is 
really  accomplished.  The  thing  to  be  desired  is  per- 
manent work  and  permanent  contacts. 

It  is  neither  just  nor  expedient  that  the  church 
should  be  partisan  except  when  the  situation  mani- 
festly demands  it.  To  inform  the  public,  to  stimulate 
higher  wages,  to  bring  employer  and  worker  together, 
to  promote  conciliation,  conference,  cooperation, 
profit-sharing,  and  other  joint  relations  in  ownership 
and  management — these  are  its  natural  tasks.  But 
while  it  should  not  be  partisan,  it  is  expected  of  the 
church  that  it  shall  maintain  a primary  and  unshakable 
interest  in  the  rights  and  well-being  of  the  masses  of 
the  people. 

4.  Public  Recreation 

The  field  of  public  recreation  includes  the  develop- 
ment of  churches  as  social  centers;  the  larger  use  of 
church  parish  houses  for  recreational  purposes ; 
education  of  the  people  in  the  use  of  leisure  time ; the 
promotion  of  safe  and  abundant  recreation  by  commu- 
nities through  popularized  parks;  supervised  play- 
grounds, and  social  centers;  the  use  of  school  build- 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


lOI 


ings  and  grounds  and  also  of  church  buildings  for 
neighborhood  purposes;  the  encouragement  of  com- 
mercial recreation  of  a wholesome  character,  the  con- 
trol of  dance  halls,  theaters,  motion  picture  theaters, 
pool-rooms,  summer  resorts,  and  especially  of  vicious 
forms  of  recreation;  the  coordination  of  public,  pri- 
vate, and  commercial  recreation  in  a program  which 
aims  to  meet  fully  the  need  of  a community. 

The  importance  of  public  recreation  is  growing 
with  the  density  of  population,  especially  of  urban 
population,  with  the  increasing  tension  of  modern  life, 
and  with  the  coming  of  the  shorter  work-day  and  the 
prohibition  of  saloons.  The  church,  because  of  its  es- 
pousal of  the  prohibition  movement  and  the  short  hour 
day,  is  doubly  obligated  to  a recreational  program.  It 
has  a rare  opportunity  to  use  its  buildings  for  these 
purposes,  and,  because  of  its  organization  and  its 
power  as  an  educational  institution,  to  educate  the 
people  in  the  right  use  of  leisure  time. 

The  Department  of  Social  Service  should  lead  the 
churches  into  this  work.  It  should  also  lead  the  local 
churches  to  see  that  a generous  program  of  recreation 
will  fill  their  congregations  with  young  life,  and  will 
give  them  their  opportunity  for  evangelism  and  Chris- 
tian teaching. 

The  churches  cannot  act  narrowly  when  they  touch 
public  recreation.  They  will  be  obliged  to  work  on 
broad  lines  of  policy,  keeping  in  mind  conditions  as 
they  exist  and  the  public  need  for  rest  and  recreation, 
and  also  the  things  which  the  people  care  to  do.  For 
example,  it  is  impossible,  in  a city,  to  eliminate  public 
dance  halls,  but  it  is  possible  to  reconstruct  the  build- 
ings, to  separate  them  from  saloons  and  houses  of 
assignation,  to  regulate  hours,  to  police  them,  to  deter- 


102  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


mine  under  what  auspices  they  shall  be  run.  It  is 
not  possible  in  most  cities  to  eliminate  public  recrea- 
tion, such  as  baseball,  lawn  tennis,  golf,  and  boating, 
on  Sunday ; but  it  is  possible,  by  an  understanding  be- 
tween the  churches  and  the  authorities,  to  confine  it  to 
afternoons  in  public  parks  and  play  centers. 

5.  Prison  Reform  and  Juvenile  Delinquents 

The  movement  for  prison  reform,  for  the  proper 
care  of  juvenile  delinquents,  and  for  the  prevention 
of  crime,  is  one  of  the  finest  expressions  of  the  Chris- 
tian spirit  in  modern  times.  It  is  also  one  department 
in  which  governments  have  gone  the  length  of  the 
program  of  Christianity. 

To  relate  the  churches  to  juvenile  courts,  jails, 
prisons,  farm  colonies,  and  workhouses,  and  to  enter 
heartily  into  movements  for  the  prevention  of  crime, 
is  an  ideal  function  of  a department  of  social  service. 

The  forms  which  this  takes  or  may  take  are  varied 
and  instructive.  In  St.  Louis  and  Louisville,  for  ex- 
ample, the  federations  are  in  close  relations  with  the 
juvenile  courts  and  are  providing  large  numbers  of 
probation  officers  and  big  brothers  for  youthful  delin- 
quents. This  is  an  admirable  thing  for  the  churches 
to  do,  only  they  must  be  dependable. 

Federated  churches  should  see  that  services  of  pub- 
lic worship,  religious  and  biblical  instruction,  and  visi- 
tation by  clergymen,  are  provided  systematically  for 
all  these  public  institutions.  In  a large  city  some  one 
responsible  salaried  person  should  direct  the  work. 
The  Buffalo  federation  employs  a man  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

The  movement  for  prison  reform  has  gone  a long 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


103 


way,  but  there  is  still  a vast  amount  to  be  done.  Poli- 
ticians are  generally  opposed  to  the  new  methods,  and 
but  little  has  yet  been  done  in  county  institutions. 
Since  churches  are  firmly  entrenched  in  every  commu- 
nity, they  have  it  within  their  power  to  render  in- 
valuable service  in  placing  all  penal  institutions  on  the 
reformatory  basis. 

6.  Social  Hygiene 

In  approaching  the  social  evil  churches  should  not 
forget  that  the  greatest  factor  in  social  hygiene  is  per- 
sonal education ; the  education  of  children  with  regard 
to  sex,  its  function  and  control ; the  education  of 
young  men  and  women  looking  to  continence  and  mar- 
riage, and  in  the  personal  and  social  dangers  of  vene- 
real diseases,  and  the  loss  of  efficiency  incident  thereto. 
That  education  has  its  greatest  power  when  it  is  based 
upon  the  love  of  God,  the  spiritual  sanctity  of  the 
body,  the  sacredness  of  the  sex  relations,  and  when 
the  associations  and  ideals  of  religion  are  thrown  as  a 
shield  about  young  people.  It  is  here  that  the  church 
has  its  greatest  field  of  opportunity. 

Nor  should  the  church  forget  that  the  social  evil 
is  vitally  related  to  the  hours  and  wages  of  women 
and  girls,  especially  of  girls,  and  to  the  protection 
which  is  thrown  around  girls  in  factories,  stores,  and 
offices.  Every  increment  in  wages,  all  lessened  fatigue 
by  shorter  hours,  everything  that  is  done  to  safeguard 
women  who  are  engaged  in  industry  or  in  domestic 
service  in  homes,  is  a blow  against  prostitution. 

The  control  of  the  social  evil  is  a most  difficult 
and  baffling  problem.  We  shall  not  reach  ideal  condi- 
tions under  any  methods  that  can  now  be  foreseen. 


104  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


but  the  experience  of  many  communities  in  many 
lands  is  indicating  a fairly  definite  method  of  proce- 
dure. 

This  includes:  first,  the  abolition  of  the  so-called 
red  light  districts  and  a rigorous  policy  of  repression 
by  the  constituted  authorities;  second,  watchfulness 
against  the  dissemination  of  the  evil  in  residential 
neighborhoods;  third,  earnest  efforts  for  the  reforma- 
tion of  the  unfortunate  women  who  are  victims  of  this 
evil;  fourth,  measures  to  protect  communities  against 
the  ravages  of  venereal  diseases.  Kansas  City  and 
Cleveland  have  done  notable  work  in  this  field. 

The  problem  is  so  difficult  and  so  lends  itself  to 
graft  that  the  authorities  of  cities  are  slow  to  under- 
take a thoroughgoing  program.  They  prefer  to  fall 
back  upon  regulated  districts,  or  upon  a segregated 
district,  which,  while  not  authoritative,  exists  by  po- 
lice sanction. 

The  experience  obtained  through  notable  studies 
of  the  social  evil,  such  as  those  made  by  the  Chicago 
and  Minneapolis  Vice  Commissions  and  the  Rockefel- 
ler Foundation,  are  available  to  federations  which  de- 
sire to  enter  this  field;  as  is  also  the  experience  of 
federations,  like  that  of  Cleveland,  which  have  been 
working  on  the  problem  for  an  extended  period.  In 
no  other  field  of  social  work  are  careful  methods  and 
thoroughness  of  approach  more  necessary,  and  crusad- 
ing methods  more  dangerous  and  undesirable. 

7.  Public  Health 

The  movement  for  public  health  is  rapidly  gaining 
force  and  is  of  extreme  importance.  Children  were 
not  meant  to  die.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  people 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


105 


who  perish  annually  and  unnecessarily  from  prevent- 
able diseases,  such  as  typhoid,  malaria,  tuberculosis, 
typhus,  alcoholism,  venereal  diseases,  and  pneumonia, 
constitute  a waste  of  life,  a menace  to  health,  a bur- 
den of  poverty,  and  a weight  of  sorrow,  which 
handicaps  the  nation  and  indicts  its  civilization.  When 
pure  water,  clean  and  uninfected  milk,  sanitary  and 
unadulterated  food,  adequate  sewage  disposal,  clean 
streets  and  houses,  pure  air  and  abundance  of  light, 
medical  inspection  and  care,  and  scientific  handling  of 
contagion,  are  possible  to  all  citizens  and  to  every 
community,  those  who  care  for  the  well-being  of  the 
people  should  not  rest  day  or  night  until  they  are 
made  effective. 

An  effective  department  of  public  health,  free 
from  political  influence,  managed  by  public-spirited 
officials  who  know  their  field,  is  a matter  for  deter- 
mined effort  in  every  community  which  does  not  have 
such  a department.  What  is  needed  is  not  simply  offi- 
cials who  will  enforce  public  health  regulations  but 
who  have  the  educational  idea  and  method,  who  will 
not  only  keep  back-alleys  clean,  but  teach  careless 
citizens  why  and  how  to  keep  them  clean. 

The  movement  for  public  health  offers  to  churches 
rare  opportunities  of  effective  service.  This  is  due, 
first,  to  the  fact  that  the  church  is  a great  educational 
institution,  and  may  include  in  its  educational  work 
the  fundamental  ideas  and  problems  involved  in  pub- 
lic health.  It  is  due,  secondly,  to  the  power  which 
the  church  has,  through  its  organization,  to  assist  in 
community  and  state-wide  campaigns  against  disease 
and  in  behalf  of  organizations  combating  disease. 
Churches  and  religious  organizations  should  give 
themselves  to  campaigns  like  the  institutes  for  public 


io6  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


health  conducted  by  the  Southern  Sociological  Con- 
gress in  1916,  and  the  state-wide  agitation  in  Arkan- 
sas, conducted  by  Dr.  Alexander  Johnson  of  the 
Training  School  at  Vineland,  New  Jersey,  which  cul- 
minated in  the  spring  of  1917  in  legislation  creating 
state  provision  for  the  feeble-minded.  The  nation- 
wide campaign  for  public  health,  which  is  being  organ- 
ized by  Mr.  Charles  Stelzle,  of  the  Federal  Council  of 
Churches,  offers  a rare  opportunity  for  these  purposes. 

8.  Housing 

The  organization  of  many  communities  for  housing 
is  now  well  advanced,  and  most  states  have  standard- 
ized their  housing  regulations,  but  large  sections  of 
the  nation,  especially  in  newer  communities  and  in  the 
South,  are  but  in  the  beginning  of  housing  reform. 
To  secure  housing  legislation  and  organization  is  one 
thing;  to  make  them  effective  is  another.  It  requires 
efficient  administration,  the  enforcement  of  codes  in 
the  construction  of  new  buildings  and  in  the  recon- 
struction or  demolition  of  improper  buildings.  This  in 
turn  is  dependent  upon  an  adequate  number  of 
inspectors. 

While  the  movements  for  housing  are  now  firmly 
established  in  older  communities,  the  problem  is  ever 
present  in  new  and  rapidly  growing  cities.  It  is  vital 
that  housing  regulations  be  established  early  in  the 
growth  of  cities  before  living  conditions  become  bad 
and  before  it  becomes  necessary  to  enforce  difficult 
and  expensive  alterations  of  streets,  open  spaces,  and 
buildings. 

The  problem  of  housing  is  complicated.  It  is  one 
in  which  intrusion  is  resented,  one  which  cannot  be 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


107 


met  alone  but  which  requires  the  concerted  action  of 
citizens  and  public  officials.  The  first  effort  is  to  dis- 
cover the  agencies  already  in  the  field  and  to  work  with 
them.  Most  communities  have  housing  associations. 
Those  which  do  not  may  secure  guidance  and  help 
from  the  National  Housing  Association,  105  East  226. 
St.,  New  York  City. 

Individual  churches  may  act  directly  upon  the 
problem : first,  upon  owners  of  tenements  who  are 
members  of  churches;  second,  upon  homes  which  the 
churches  are  working  to  uplift;  third,  by  educating 
their  congregations  in  the  principles  of  housing  and 
upon  local  conditions.  Bad  housing,  particularly  un- 
sanitary conditions,  is  partly  a matter  of  low  ideals  of 
tenants.  In  such  homes  the  church  may  have  large 
educational  influence. 

Bad  housing  is  also  directly  related  to  low  wages 
and  irregular  employment,  so  that  in  working  for  a 
living  wage  and  against  seasonal  employment 
churches  are  at  the  same  time  dealing  with  the  prob- 
lems of  housing. 

9.  Community  Forums 

The  community  forum  is  so  well  established  that  it 
has  long  since  passed  the  stage  of  experimentation  and 
has  become  an  effective  method  of  social  education.  It 
is  suited  not  only  to  institutional  churches  and  to 
united  meetings  in  public  auditoriums  such  as  halls 
and  theaters,  but  in  modified  forms  to  any  congrega- 
tion. Its  principles  may  be  carried  into  the  men’s 
organizations  and  Bible  classes. 

The  idea  of  the  forum  does  not  necessarily  require 
free  discussion  from  the  floor,  although  that  is  its 


io8  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


best  form.  In  conservative  churches  where  this  would 
be  impractical,  it  is  possible  to  devote  the  evening 
services  to  addresses  on  such  public  questions  and 
issues  as  are  clearly  related  to  the  religious  move- 
ment and  to  allow  written  questions  from  the  audi- 
ence. It  is  also  possible  in  such  churches  to  maintain 
the  element  of  worship,  although  shortened  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  service. 

Churches  which  have  introduced  this  form  of  ser- 
vice discover  that  it  adds  greatly  to  the  power  and 
value  of  the  church’s  ministry  when  one  service  each 
Sunday  functions  on  the  more  personal  side  of  the  re- 
ligious life,  and  the  other  on  the  social  applications 
of  the  teachings  of  Christ.  It  gives  a balanced  teach- 
ing of  the  gospel  and  a sense  of  contact  with  reality. 
It  also  lifts  up  the  second  great  commandment  to  a 
place  beside  the  first.  If  the  message  to  the  two  ser- 
vices is  reversed  occasionally,  so  that  the  problems 
of  the  spiritual  life  are  brought  into  the  evening  forum 
service,  and  the  problem  of  social  service  into  the 
morning  worship,  it  will  be  for  the  good  of  each. 

Responsibility  for  the  organization  of  an  indepen- 
dent forum  in  each  community,  in  which  discussion 
shall  be  unrestricted,  falls  naturally  to  a Department 
of  Social  Service ; but,  important  as  this  must  be  rec- 
ognized to  be,  the  committee  is  convinced  that  the 
greater  work  is  to  secure  a wider  application  of  the 
principles  of  the  open  forum  to  evening  services,  Bible 
classes,  and  brotherhoods. 

Information  with  regard  to  open  forums  may  be 
secured  by  writing  to  Mr.  George  W.  Coleman,  Ford 
Hall.  Boston,  Mass.  A wealth  of  experience  is  avail- 
able for  federations  which  desire  to  enter  the  field. 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


109 


10.  Institutional  Churches 

Every  church  will  ultimately  be  highly  socialized ; 
that  is,  it  will  be  public-spirited.  It  will  be  organized 
to  participate  in  common  movements;  it  will  become 
more  and  more  a neighborhood  center.  It  will  organ- 
ize its  people,  particularly  its  children  and  youth,  for 
religious  instruction  and  the  service  of  humanity  ac- 
cording to  natural  age  groups. 

But  in  industrial  and  immigrant  neighborhoods 
the  importance  of  institutional  features  is  greatly  in- 
creased. We  shall  never  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor 
in  the  sense  which  our  Lord  had  in  mind  until  city 
missionary  societies,  acting  together  in  definite  com- 
ity, arrange  to  plant  systematically  attractive  and 
completely  housed  churches  in  the  tenement  neigh- 
borhoods and  in  industrial  centers.  The  day  of  the 
small  and  unattractive  mission  is  past,  if  Protestant- 
ism is  to  mean  anything  in  the  future  to  congested 
populations.  It  is  in  such  environments  that  the  great 
Sunday-school,  the  evangelistic  service,  visitation 
from  house  to  house,  organization  of  the  recrea- 
tional and  social  life  of  young  people,  the  gymnasium, 
swimming  pool,  and  summer  camp,  are  most  neces- 
sary. 

Responsibility  for  the  creation  of  such  churches 
rests  finally  upon  city  missionary  societies  and  the  de- 
partments of  comity,  but  their  ministries  are  so  largely 
social,  and  they  are  so  vitally  related  to  the  work  of 
departments  of  social  service,  as  to  require  their  study 
and  promotion.  This  is  so  manifestly  true  that  the 
creation  of  such  churches  should  rest  jointly  upon  the 
Department  of  Comity  and  the  Department  of  Social 
Service.  Or,  if  the  Department  of  Comity  confines 


no  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


itself  to  securing  comity  between  denominations  in 
planting  new  churches,  then  the  Department  of  Social 
Service  should  work  directly  with  city  missionary 
societies  to  stimulate  the  creation  of  such  churches, 
and  to  assist  in  organization  and  methods. 

II.  Other  Forms  of  Social  Work 

The  lines  of  activity  suggested  in  this  chapter  are 
fundamental,  but  they  do  not  by  any  means  cover  the 
fields  of  service  into  which  departments  of  social 
service  may  enter.  The  problem  of  immigration  has 
not  been  considered,  except  incidentally,  nor  specifical- 
ly that  of  child  welfare.  It  is  apparent  also  that  the 
work  upon  which  churches  within  certain  areas  should 
be  engaged  must  be  determined  in  part  by  local  or  sec- 
tional needs.  The  race  question  belongs  to  many  sec- 
tions, but  is  especially  urgent  in  some  Southern  states 
and  a number  of  Northern  industrial  centers.  The 
presence  of  large  numbers  of  immigrants,  massed  in 
cities,  creates  a serious  problem  which  rural  neigh- 
borhoods do  not  often  face.  In  the  country  the  prob- 
lems of  overcrowding  are  not  acute.  In  the  city  they 
are  immensely  important  and  difficult. 

The  Sub-commission  therefore  emphasizes  initia- 
tive and  originality,  the  study  of  local  conditions  and 
the  development  of  work  based  thereon,  and  urges  that 
local  federations  keep  in  touch  with  one  another  and 
with  the  Commission  on  the  Church  and  Social  Ser- 
vice of  the  Federal  Council.  The  vital  matters  in  this 
chapter  are  the  forms  of  organization  and  the  methods 
of  approach. 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


III 


III.  Additional  Recommendations 
I,  Social  Education 

Probably  the  greatest  social  work  the  church  can 
ever  do  will  be  to  pour  into  the  life  of  the  nation  a 
constant  stream  of  socially-minded  young  people, 
trained  in  the  principles  and  practise  of  social  service, 
ready  to  take  their  place  in  the  fight  for  a better  world. 
Twenty-five  million  children  pass  under  our  religious 
education  every  generation,  and  several  millions  are 
under  training  in  young  people’s  societies.  To  give 
them  the  view-point  of  the  Gospels,  to  awaken  within 
them  the  love  of  humanity,  to  prepare  them  for  citi- 
zenship in  our  democracy,  is  a supreme  task. 

The  problem  of  social  education  falls  in  large  part 
to  the  report  of  the  Sub-commission  on  Religious 
Education,  and  its  promotion  by  a local  federation  of 
churches  to  a corresponding  department.  But  its  rela- 
tion to  social  service  is  so  fundamental  as  to  require  at 
least  integration  with  this  department.  It  will  like- 
wise require  promotion  by  a Department  of  Social 
Service,  and  will  certainly  demand  cooperation. 

Social  education  will  also  require  consideration  by 
a Department  of  Social  Service  in  three  other  respects : 
first,  in  so  far  as  it  is  related  to  the  curricula  of  our 
high  schools,  normal  schools,  and  colleges,  where  the 
social  sciences  should  receive  increasing  emphasis ; 
second,  in  the  encouragement  of  our  young  people  to 
study  these  sciences,  that  they  may  be  better  equipped 
for  service  in  the  church,  community,  and  state ; third, 
in  the  correlation  of  the  social  service  activities  of  the 
church  with  the  social  science  work  in  educational  in- 
stitutions, on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  with  the 


1 12  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


social  service  activities  of  the  community  that  are 
under  expert  direction. 

But  in  the  large  fields  of  community  service,  educa- 
tional work  is  a necessary  part  of  social  action.  Cam- 
paigns for  public  health  are  largely  educational,  as  is 
all  social  evangelism.  The  social  work  of  local 
churches  and  of  all  community  movements  must  be 
based  on  anticipatory  or  simultaneous  educational 
effort.  The  citizenship  campaign  of  the  Civic  Com- 
mittee of  the  Cleveland  Federation  in  1916,  all  com- 
munity surveys,  the  complete  studies  of  cities  made 
jointly  with  the  Missionary  Education  Movement,  as 
in  Cleveland  and  St.  Louis  and  notably  in  the  Chal- 
lenge of  Pittsburgh  Campaign,  are  at  bottom  educa- 
tional, but  educational  in  the  sense  of  looking  to  imme- 
diate social  action;  and  therefore  under  the  initiative 
and  probably  under  the  direct  promotion  of  the  De- 
partment of  Social  Service. 

The  line  between  the  two  departments  is  not  and 
cannot  be  clearly  defined,  and  should  therefore  be  the 
subject  of  frequent  conference.  They  will  often  find 
it  advisable  to  work  together,  as  in  the  instance  just 
mentioned,  in  promoting  social  service  activities  with 
young  people’s  societies,  brotherhoods,  and  adult 
Bible  classes,  and  in  the  expressional  work  of  religious 
education  with  the  young.  The  more  this  last  is  made 
real  work  at  actual  and  necessary  tasks  the  greater 
will  be  its  educational  value. 

2.  Principles  of  the  Survey 

A fundamental  principle  in  modern  social  work  is 
thoroughness  of  information  and  preparation  before 
action.  Churches  are  strongly  tempted  to  violate  this 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


113 


principle  and  to  engage  in  precipitate  movements. 
Ministers  in  particular  are  under  the  pressure  of  ne- 
cessity in  their  pulpits,  whereas  in  social  work  there  is 
need  of  extended  and  quiet  investigation  and  of  self- 
control  in  the  matter  of  publicity. 

Effective  religious  and  social  work,  especially  com- 
munity work,  must  be  based  on  careful  studies  of  local 
conditions  and  needs.  The  want  of  this  is  a funda- 
mental weakness  with  churches,  and  accounts  for  the 
lack  of  consecutiveness  in  much  that  is  undertaken. 
An  executive  officer  of  a state  organization,  reporting 
on  a visit  to  thirty  cities  in  twenty-eight  states,  has 
this  to  say; 

“In  every  city  I entered  on  this  trip  I tried  to  find 
out  some  fundamental  facts  regarding  the  religious  re- 
sources and  religious  needs  of  the  community,  and  in 
only  one  city  was  I able  to  secure  accurate  data  re- 
garding these  things.  Everywhere  else  where  there 
had  been  no  survey,  there  were  only  hazy  ideas  as  to 
the  actual  religious  and  social  needs  of  the  commu- 
nity. I know  from  practical  experience  that  surveys 
can  be  made  that  will  show  in  a scientific  way  just 
what  the  religious  resources  are  and  what  the  needs 
are.” 

Surveys  of  the  right  kind  are  serious  pieces  of 
work  and,  if  they  cover  a large  population  or  a range 
of  subjects,  expensive.  Complete  surveys  of  cities 
should  seldom  be  undertaken  by  churches,  and,  when 
they  are  undertaken,  should  be  organized  cooperative- 
ly with  other  social  agencies  and  after  consultation 
with  the  experienced  survey  agencies. 

In  small  communities  and  in  rural  neighborhoods 
it  is  possible  to  make  thoroughgoing  studies  of  con- 
ditions. Such  surveys  are  extremely  desirable  and 


1 14  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


necessary  for  constructive  work.  In  larger  communi- 
ties neighborhood  studies,  or  studies  of  particular 
fields,  as,  for  example,  the  social  evil,  social  agencies 
and  needs  in  a restricted  area,  or  some  phase  of  public 
recreation,  such  as  dance  halls  or  moving  pictures,  can 
be  made  to  advantage  by  the  Department  of  Social 
Service. 

The  Pittsburgh  Council  of  Churches  observes  two 
principles  in  survey  work  which  are  fundamental: 

(1)  Every  community  should  make  its  own  sur- 
vey. This  does  not  preclude  the  securing  of  expert 
guidance  from  the  outside. 

(2)  No  metropolitan  community  can  study  its 
whole  self  at  one  time.  The  task  is  too  great.  A series 
of  studies  must  be  made  by  districts,  or  covering  spe- 
cific subjects  of  investigation. 

The  desire  of  the  Sub-commission  is  not  to  advo- 
cate a survey  which  is  so  difficult  that  for  practical 
purposes  it  is  prohibitive,  but  a working  survey  such 
as  local  churches  can  make  and  require  for  their  work, 
and  which  gives  promise  of  reasonable  accuracy  with- 
out being  too  voluminous. 

When  churches  undertake  surveys  it  is  important 
to  work  out  the  questionnaires  with  particular  care, 
and  to  devise  methods  and  organize  the  workers  with 
initial  thoroughness.  The  denominational  secretaries 
on  social  service,  the  Commission  on  the  Church  and 
Social  Service  of  the  Federal  Council,  or  when  exten- 
sive surveys  are  to  be  undertaken,  the  Department  of 
Surveys  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  130  East 
22d  Street,  New  York  City,  will  render  assistance  to 
churches  and  federations  desiring  more  extended  in- 
formation. 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


115 

3.  Socialization  of  Local  Churches 

A primary  effort  of  the  Department  of  Social  Ser- 
vice of  a local  federation  of  churches  must  always  be  a 
systematic  and  continuous  effort  to  socialize  the  un- 
awakened local  churches,  and  to  coordinate  all  of 
them  for  social  efforts  in  the  community. 

This  will  be  accomplished  partly  by  a continuous 
campaign  of  education,  including  conferences,  dinners, 
public  meetings,  and  drives  like  that  of  Mr.  Stelzle’s; 
and  partly  by  definite  organization  in  social  work.  An 
ounce  of  actual  social  effort  is  worth  a pound  of  discus- 
sion, although  the  two  go  together.  It  is  well  to  have 
the  churches  begin  where  they  are  ready  to  work  at  a 
given  time;  as,  for  example,  with  juvenile  delinquents, 
in  charities,  in  legislative  effort,  in  neighborhood 
movements,  and  in  the  development  of  their  churches 
as  social  centers. 

Many  churches  will  not  enter  into  a radical  pro- 
gram, at  least  not  at  once.  Some  of  them  will  be  very 
slow  to  enter  upon  cooperative  movements.  It  will 
be  only  by  gradual  processes,  by  not  scorning  coopera- 
tion which  seems  unduly  elementary,  that  they  will 
be  finally  induced  to  unite  in  common  efforts.  Fed- 
erations of  churches,  being  continuous  bodies,  are  in  a 
position  to  take  the  necessary  time  to  secure  such  co- 
operation. It  is  well  worth  the  labor  and  patience 
required. 

As  the  work  of  a federation  of  churches  enlarges 
through  the  development  of  each  of  its  departments, 
it  faces  constantly  more  seriously  the  multiplicity  of 
appeals  to  its  constituent  churches.  If  this  is  not  safe- 
guarded it  will  produce  unfavorable  results  and  will 
cause  inefficiency. 


ii6  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


The  whole  matter  of  approach  to  the  local  church 
must  be  calendared  by  the  Executive  Committee  and 
Executive  Secretary  of  the  Federation.  This  will  force 
more  careful  study  of  methods  by  which  the  Depart- 
ment of  Social  Service  may  keep  its  contacts  with  the 
churches  and  yet  not  weary  them  with  appeals. 

Probably  the  best  method  for  the  Department  of 
Social  Service  is  to  plan  ahead  and  calendar  its  own 
work  through  its  Committee  of  Direction.  Its  more 
regular  contacts  may  be  secured  through  committees 
in  the  local  churches  corresponding  to  the  committees 
of  the  Department  of  Social  Service.  These  commit- 
tees m.ay  work  quietly  without  requiring  the  action  or 
attention  of  the  whole  church. 

To  illustrate : if  the  Department  of  Social  Service 
organizes  a committee  on  Prison  Reform,  that  com- 
mittee, in  addition  to  whatever  it  may  undertake  in 
the  community,  will  find  it  necessary  to  appoint  a like 
committee  on  Prison  Reform  in  each  constituent  local 
church.  This  local  committee  in  turn  may  work 
without  publicity.  It  may  secure  voluntary  proba- 
tion officers  and  big  brothers.  It  may  secure  the  con- 
sideration of  prison  reform  in  Bible  classes,  brother- 
hoods, and  young  people’s  societies.  It  may  arrange 
for  an  annual  Prison  Sunday,  or  for  an  annual  week- 
day mass-meeting  and  address  under  the  direction  of 
one  of  the  regular  societies  of  a church.  It  may 
assume  responsibility  for  visitation  in  a near-by  prison, 
jail,  or  workhouse.  It  may  help  to  arouse  the  interest 
of  the  local  church  in  a community-wide  meeting  or 
effort.  All  this  may  be  done  in  the  main  without  agi- 
tation or  observation,  and  with  the  fullest  concurrence 
of  the  pastor. 

A further  step  in  coordination  in  the  local  church 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


117 

would  be  for  the  pastor  to  arrange  that  the  chairmen 
of  the  comittees  having  to  do  with  social  work  in  the 
parish,  as,  for  example,  those  on  Charities,  Prison  Re- 
form, Woman’s  Social  Service  Committee,  etc.,  be 
organized  to  constitute  the  Social  Service  Committee 
of  the  church. 

4.  Social  Service  and  Evangelism 

Social  evangelism  has  a twofold  meaning,  “The 
development  of  the  social  values  in  evangelism  and  of 
the  evangelistic  values  in  social  service.”  These  are 
closely  interrelated.  The  whole  of  modern  evangel- 
ism, whether  the  evangelism  of  Christian  nurture  or 
of  the  big  meeting  for  adults,  will  finally  be  inspired 
by  the  social  outlook  and  task.  To  bring  this  about 
and  to  hasten  the  transformation  is  extremely  impor- 
tant both  to  social  work  and  to  the  power  of  evangel- 
ism itself.  We  have  come  upon  a day  when  evangel- 
ism without  social  vision  makes  little  appeal,  and  we 
approach  a day  when  an  intensely  personal  evangel- 
ism, but  with  the  task  of  a Christian  society  before  it, 
will  develop  unprecedented  power  and  influence. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  need  is  equally  great  for  a 
social  service  which  has  the  fervor  and  method  of 
evangelistic  campaigns  for  its  own  great  causes,  and 
which  is  so  charged  with  spiritual  feeling  that  it  be- 
comes in  effect  a powerful  personal  evangelism. 

Social  evangelism  is  jointly  a function  of  the  De- 
partments of  Social  Service,  Community  Evangelism, 
and  Religious  Education.  The  Sub-commission  rec- 
ommends that  Departments  of  Social  Service  watch 
the  point  of  view  of  evangelists  who  are  brought  to  a 
community,  and  that  they  undertake,  by  conferences 


ii8  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


with  pastors  and  evangelists  and  by  other  methods,  to 
socialize  all  evangelistic  efforts.  It  would  call  atten- 
tion also  to  the  importance  of  community-wide  cam- 
paigns for  public  health,  for  citizenship,  for  industrial 
causes,  and  in  behalf  of  local  social  agencies,  and  to  the 
importance  of  conducting  them  with  an  earnestness 
which  shall  awaken  men  to  the  higher  spiritual 
realities. 

5.  The  Women  of  the  Churches  and  Community  Social 
Service 

The  women  of  the  churches  have  had  as  yet  very 
little  influence  in  local  social  service  movements,  ex- 
cept as  they  are  individually  members  on  boards  and 
committees  of  charitable  societies.  Their  activities 
have  been  connected  largely  with  missionary  societies 
and  with  aid  societies.  They  have  entered  the  field  of 
social  service  mainly  in  distant  communities  through 
their  home  and  foreign  missionary  work. 

Here  is  a great  latent  force  which  must  be  awak- 
ened and  for  which  instruments  of  effective  expression 
are  to  be  formed.  A city  federation  which  can  accom- 
plish this  effectively  will  perform  a most  important 
kind  of  experimentation.  The  women  themselves  must 
work  out  the  problem  with  such  assistance,  especially 
initial  assistance,  as  the  federation  may  render. 

The  most  obvious  thing  to  do  is  to  ask  the  auxilia- 
ries of  home  missionary  societies  to  create  a committee 
to  deal  with  local  community  movements,  such  as 
those  affecting  the  welfare  of  women  and  girls.  This 
is  the  method  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.  But  if  this  is  done  it  should  be  organized  on  a 
sufficiently  broad  basis  to  allow  all  the  women  of  the 


SOCIAL  SERVICE 


119 

churches  who  are  or  can  be  interested,  to  participate. 
It  is  probable  that  it  will  be  found  advisable  to  recom- 
mend a separate  women’s  committee  for  each  church, 
with  representatives  from  the  different  women’s  or- 
ganizations ; this  committee  to  constitute  not  so  much 
another  organization  in  the  church  as  a common  or- 
ganizing and  directing  committee. 

The  natural  method  to  pursue  would  then  be  for 
the  Department  of  Social  Service  of  the  Federation 
to  secure  a federation  of  these  local  groups,  so  that 
their  influence  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  commu- 
nity problems,  especially  upon  those  involving  the 
welfare  of  women  and  girls,  and  upon  the  whole  prob- 
lem of  the  freedom  of  opportunity  and  equal  status 
of  women  with  men. 

6.  A Rural  Department  of  Social  Service 

As  the  organization  and  cooperation  of  rural 
churches  advances,  and  neighborhood,  township,  and 
count}'-  federations  of  churches  are  formed,  or  in  vil- 
lages and  small  towns  where  there  are  two  or  more 
churches  and  joint  action  is  secured  by  a simple  form 
of  committee  organization,  the  necessity  of  a rural 
department  of  Social  Service  or  a Committee  on  Social 
Service  will  at  once  arise. 

The  principles  to  be  applied  are  not  essentially  dif- 
ferent from  those  used  in  urban  centers.  The  prob- 
lems involved,  such  as  cooperation  with  social  agen- 
cies, relations  to  the  local  and  state  authorities,  indus- 
trial and  labor  problems,  recreation,  public  health, 
social  hygiene,  crime  and  delinquency,  are  all  present 
but  in  different  forms.  They  require  the  same  study. 


120  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


the  same  principles  of  the  survey,  the  same  collective 
action. 

In  the  country  most  social  conditions  are  not  so 
acute  as  in  the  city;  but  in  other  regards  the  need  is 
greater  because  of  the  lack  of  organization  and  the 
comparative  poverty  of  social  life.  Rural  areas  offer, 
therefore,  fascinating  fields  for  service,  and  they  put  a 
premium  upon  ministers  and  laymen  who  have  social 
vision  and  organizing  skill,  and  who  will  consecrate 
themselves  to  the  enrichment  of  rural  life. 

IV.  The  Churches’  Distinctive  Function 

The  churches  have  a distinctive  function  in  social 
work,  which  is  to  endeavor  to  lift  all  social  effort  to 
the  plane  of  spiritual  ministry.  Social  service  is  love 
in  action  guided  by  social  experience,  and  in  its  high- 
est form,  where  love  for  God  and  love  for  human- 
ity are  one  strong  passion,  it  all  becomes  spiritual 
service.  Social  service  tends  to  become  mechanical 
and  lifeless  unless  it  is  thus  quickened.  To  make  it 
such  is  the  church’s  inspiring  opportunity. 


V 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMISSION  ON 
A DEPARTMENT  OF  RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Winchester,  Rev.  B.  S.  Chairman  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Assistant  Professor  of  Religious  Education,  Yale 
School  of  Religion 

Athearn,  Prof.  Walter  S.  Boston,  Mass. 

Professor  of  Religious  Education,  Boston  University 

Boocock,  Rev.  William  H.  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Director  of  Religious  Education,  First  Presbyterian 
Church 

Brown,  Arlo  A.  Chicago,  111. 

Department  of  Teacher  Training,  Board  of  Sunday 
Schools,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Chalmers,  Rev.  W.  E.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Educational  Secretary,  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society 

Cope,  Rev.  Henry  F.  Chicago,  111. 

General  Secretary,  Religious  Education  Association 

Davies,  Rev.  J.  W.  F.  Winnetka,  111. 

Pastor,  First  Congregational  Church 

Diffendorfer,  R.  E.  New  York  City 

Joint  Educational  Secretary,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
and  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension, 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Fergusson,  Rev.  E.  Morris  Baltimore,  Md. 

General  Secretary,  Maryland  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion 

Fisher,  Dr.  George  J.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  Physical  Department,  International  Commit- 
tee of  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associations 

Gates,  Rev.  Herbert  W.  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Superintendent,  Brick  Church  Institute 

Gilkey,  Rev.  Charles  Chicago,  111. 

Pastor,  Hyde  Park  Baptist  Church 

Hartshorne,  Prof.  Hugh  New  York  City 

Assistant  Professor  of  Religious  Education,  Union 
Theological  Seminary 


I2I 


122  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


Hopkins^  Rev.  R.  M.  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Bible  School  Secretary,  American  Christian  Missionary 
Society 

Hubbell,  Rev.  H.  H.  Buffalo,  N.  Y, 

Director  of  Religious  Education,  Lafayette  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church 

Meyer,  Rev.  Henry  H.  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Editor,  Sunday-school  Publications,  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church 

Moxcey,  Miss  Mary  E.  Boston,  Mass. 

Professor  of  Religious  Education,  Department  of  Re- 
ligious Education,  Boston  University 

Pearce,  W.  C.  Chicago,  111. 

Field  and  Adult  Superintendent,  International  Sunday 
School  Association 

Raffety,  Rev.  W.  E.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Editor-in-chief,  American  Baptist  Publication  Society 

Rice,  Miss  Anna  V.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  Religious  Work  Department,  National  Board 
of  Young  Woman’s  Christian  Associations 

Richardson,  Prof.  Norman  E.  Boston,  Mass. 

Professor  of  the  Psychology  of  Religion,  Boston  Uni- 
versity 

Shackpord,  Rev.  John  W.  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Superintendent,  Department  of  Teacher  Training,  Gen- 
eral Sunday  School  Board,  Methodist  Episcopal  Qburch, 
South 

Veach,  Rev.  Robert  W.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Secretary  of  Religious  Education,  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Publication  and  Sabbath  School  Work 

Weigle,  Prof.  Luther  A.  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Professor  of  Christian  Nurture,  Yale  School  of  Re- 
ligion 

A Department  of  Religious  Education  for  an 
Interchurch  Federation 

The  business  of  the  Christian  church  is  construc- 
tive. It  is  to  build  the  king-dom  of  God  on  earth.  Its 
methods  are  many ; its  faith  is  in  the  grace  of  God ; 
its  strength,  in  the  power  of  his  Spirit. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


123 


Of  the  church’s  methods  none  are  more  vital  than 
the  educative.  No  part  of  its  work  is  more  important 
than  that  of  religious  education.  Education  is  direct- 
ly constructive ; it  prevents  sin  and  failure,  it  makes 
men  and  women.  Through  evangelistic  preaching  the 
church  reclaims  the  sinner;  through  Christian  nur- 
ture it  prevents  the  child  from  wandering  into  indiffer- 
ence or  vice.  Through  revival  or  personal  effort  it 
wins  men  to  decision  and  leads  them  to  experience 
conversion ; but  if  decision  is  to  result  in  service  and 
conversion  to  issue  in  its  full  and  permanent  fruitage, 
there  must  be  instruction  and  training.  Without  full 
use  of  the  methods  of  nurture  and  education  the  work 
of  the  church  lacks  substance  and  perpetuity;  instead 
of  growing  by  the  vital  powers  God  has  given  it  as  its 
own  it  condemns  itself  to  an  unending  battle  for  new 
conquests  from  without. 

It  is  equally  true  that  education  without  religion 
is  incomplete  and  abortive.  It  fails  to  put  the  child 
into  touch  with  life’s  truest  ideals  and  most  fundamen- 
tal forces.  It  may  teach  about  character,  but  lacks 
dynamic  to  create  it.  It  cultivates  intelligence  and 
skill,  but  cannot  beget  the  goodwill  without  which  no 
community  can  achieve  the  fullest  happiness  and  suc- 
cess. The  church  owes  it  to  the  community  to  main- 
tain such  methods  of  Christian  education  as  may 
crown  and  complete  the  necessarily  partial  work  of 
the  public  schools. 

I.  What  Community  Needs  in  Religious  Education 
MAY  Best  be  Met  by  an  Interchurch  Federa- 
tion, Rather  than  by  the  Churches 
Individually? 

The  normal  unit  of  work  in  religious  education  is 


124  the  manual  of  inter-church  work 


the  individual  church.  This  is  primarily  responsible 
for  providing  program,  equipment,  and  teaching  force, 
as  well  as  for  actually  imparting  those  truths  which  it 
regards  as  distinctively  Christian.  Probably  the  major 
part  of  the  work  of  religious  education  will  continue 
to  be  done  by  the  individual  church  and  this  will  con- 
stitute a large  and  important  part  of  its  activity. 

There  are,  however,  certain  community  needs  in 
religious  education  which  can  never  be  adequately  met 
by  the  individual  church,  nor  by  all  the  churches  act- 
ing in  their  individual  capacities,  but  only  through  co- 
operative effort.  Among  the  ways  of  meeting  such 
needs  the  following  may  be  mentioned: 

1.  The  Taking  of  a Community  Census,  with  a view  to 
reaching  all  the  children  of  a community  with  relig- 
ious education.  If  the  Christian  churches  are  to  work 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  community,  they 
must  know  definitely  just  what  children  are  as  yet 
untouched  by  the  Sunday-school  and  other  religious 
influences. 

2.  The  Providing  of  a Program  of  Week-day  Relig- 
ious Education,  involving,  as  it  does,  a close  adjustment 
between  the  public  school  program  and  the  program 
of  religious  education  provided  by  the  churches. 
Church  and  school  must  work  together  to  provide  a 
complete  education;  either  alone  is  insufficient  and 
partial. 

3.  The  Making  of  a Survey  of  Educational  Agencies 
of  the  Community,  with  reference  to  the  possible  contri- 
bution of  each  to  a community  program  of  religious 
education  and  to  their  cooperation  in  its  realization. 
Besides  church  and  public  school,  other  agencies  have 
their  important  place  in  the  program  of  religious  edu- 
cation, such  as  the  playground,  the  public  library,  etc. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


125 


4.  The  Formulating  of  Constructive  Community  Pro- 
grams of  Religious  Education.  Community  programs 
imply  community  cooperation  and  planning. 

5.  The  Training  of  Leaders  in  Religious  Education 
and  in  All  Phases  of  Religious  Activity,  both  for  the  local 
church  and  for  the  community  at  large.  This  is  a task 
generally  beyond  the  resources  of  the  individual 
church. 

6.  The  Creating  of  an  Intelligent  Public  Conscience, 
with  respect  to  community  conditions  and  influences, 
both  good  and  bad.  The  effectiveness  of  any  system 
of  education,  religious  or  otherwise,  rests,  in  the  last 
analysis,  upon  the  support  of  public  opinion.  More- 
over the  character  of  the  community  itself  is  one  of 
the  chief  determinative  factors  in  shaping  the  lives  of 
children  and  youth.  The  informal,  indirect  influences 
of  community  life  are  as  potent  as  the  direct  and  for- 
mal effort  of  school  and  church. 

7.  The  Education  of  the  Public  in  Federation  Activi- 
ties. Intelligent  cooperation  in  the  work  of  a local  federa- 
tion means  constant  and  systematic  education  of  the 
public  regarding  community  needs  and  church  meth- 
ods and  agencies. 

8.  The  Correlating  of  the  Educational  Programs  of 
the  Various  Departments  of  the  Federation.  Every  De- 
partment of  a local  federation  has  certain  educational 
programs  which  are  essential  to  the  successful  prose- 
cution of  its  work.  It  is  the  task  of  the  Department 
of  Religious  Education  to  see  that  these  are  all  prop- 
erly correlated  with  one  another  as  well  as  embodied 
in  the  community  program  of  religious  education. 


126  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


II.  With  What  Organization  and  Program  may 
THE  Federation  of  Churches  Seek  to  Meet 
THESE  Community  Needs? 

It  should  be  borne  constantly  in  mind  that 
churches  differ  and  communities  differ.  It  is  there- 
fore not  wise  to  attempt  to  prepare  in  detail  a stand- 
ardized program  or  scheme  of  organization.  The  fol- 
lowing suggestions  touch  upon  fundamental  needs  in 
all  communities  and  may  be  adapted  in  their  applica- 
tion to  existing  conditions. 

I.  The  Department  of  Religious  Education  in  the 
Federation  of  Churches 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Federation  of 
Churches  may  form  a Federation  Department  of  Re- 
ligious Education,  by  appointing  one  representative 
from  each  denomination  composing  the  Federation. 
The  persons  selected  should  be  those  who  are  specially 
qualified,  both  by  training  and  experience,  for  dealing 
with  matters  pertaining  to  religious  education.  The 
functions  of  this  department  are: 

a.  To  take  the  initiative  in  community  or  coopera- 
tive enterprises  in  religious  education. 

b.  To  plan  and  correlate  the  educational  policies 
of  the  Federation  of  Churches. 

2.  The  Community  Council  of  Religious  Education 

In  taking  the  initiative  in  community  or  coopera- 
tive enterprises  in  religious  education,  the  Federation 
Department  of  Religious  Education  may,  wherever  it 
seems  wise  and  conditions  favor,  act  directly  as  a 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


127 


Community  Council  of  Religious  Education,  either 
for  its  own  constituency,  as  represented  in  the 
churches  composing  the  Federation,  or  for  a limited 
geographical  section  of  the  community  in  large  cities 
having  such  areas  with  homogeneous  population. 

In  most  cases  the  Federation  Department  of  Re- 
ligious Education  will  create  a Community  Council  of 
Religious  Education,  in  accordance  with  some  one  of 
the  following  plans : 

A.  The  Federation  Department  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion may  create  a Community  Council  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion, out  of  its  own  membership,  with  the  addition  of 
such  other  representatives  of  the  constituent  denomina- 
tions as  may  be  desired  or  deemed  wise. 

B.  The  Federation  Department  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion may  call  upon  the  several  churches  of  the  community, 
regardless  of  their  connection  with  the  Church  Fed- 
eration, to  elect  two  or  three  representatives  each 
who  shall,  with  the  members  of  the  Federation  De- 
partment of  Religious  Education,  constitute  a Com- 
munity Council  of  Religious  Education. 

C.  The  Federation  Department  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion may  call  into  existence  a Community  Council  of  Re- 
ligious Education,  consisting  of,  say,  three  representatives 
of  each  of  the  educational  agencies  at  work  in  the  com- 
munity, such  as  the  Federation  of  Churches  (through 
its  Department  of  Religious  Education)  the  several 
denominations  (through  their  Educational  Commit- 
tees), the  Christian  Associations  (Y.  M.  and  Y.  W. 
C.  A.),  the  International  Sunday  School  Association 
(through  County  or  City  Association),  the  Young 
People’s  Societies  (through  the  Local  Union),  the 
Playground  Association,  the  Juvenile  Court  Associa- 
tion, the  Public  Education  Association,  the  Charity 


128  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


Org-anization  Society,  the  Boy  Scout  and  Camp  Fire 
Girls’  Councils,  etc. 

D.  The  Federation  Department  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion may  create  a Community  Council  of  Religious  Edu- 
cation consisting  of  one  hundred  or  more  members  chosen 
from  the  community  at  large. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  above  plans  are  intended  to 
suit  different  types  of  communities.  Plan  A is  adapted 
to  a community  of  homogeneous  population,  where 
the  influence  of  the  Protestant  churches  is  strong  and 
united,  and  other  religious  bodies  are  practically  un- 
represented. Plan  B is  adapted  to  communities  in 
which  are  churches  keenly  interested  in  religious  edu- 
cation and  ready  to  cooperate  in  a community  relig- 
ious education  program,  though  for  one  reason  or 
another  not  officially  included  in  the  Federation  of 
Churches.  Plan  C is  intended  for  larger  communities, 
already  well  supplied  with  effective,  though  not  well 
correlated,  educational  agencies.  Plan  D will  serve 
best  in  those  communities  which  desire  to  attack  the 
problem  of  religious  education  de  novo,  as  a distinc- 
tively community  problem.  (As  an  illustration  of  a 
method  of  community  organization  similar  to  that  out- 
lined in  Plan  D,  see  the  Malden,  Mass.,  Plan,  described 
in  the  “Malden  Leaflets,”  Pilgrim  Press,  Boston.) 

The  Community  Council  of  Religious  Education, 
as  outlined  in  Plans  C and  D,  is  the  large,  responsible, 
democratic  body  which  determines  the  policies  of  the 
community  with  respect  to  religious  education.  Its 
members  represent  the  community  as  a whole,  and 
should  consider  themselves  responsible  to  the  entire 
community  for  the  religious  welfare  of  all  its  children 
and  youth. 

This  Community  Council  will  elect  a Community 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


129 


Board  of  Religious  Education  of  three,  five,  seven,  or 
nine  members,  according  to  the  size  of  the  community, 
whose  duties  will  be  similar  to  those  of  the  board  of 
education  in  a system  of  public  schools.  It  will,  in 
turn,  elect  a Community  Superintendent  of  Religious 
Education,  as  the  executive  head  of  the  community 
system  of  religious  schools,  consisting  of  the  Sunday- 
schools  of  the  various  churches  (over  which  the  Coun- 
cil will  not  attempt  to  exercise  control  except  as  its 
assistance  may  be  requested  by  individual  churches)  ; 
vacation  schools  of  religion;  week-day  schools  of  re- 
ligion; and  a community  institute  for  the  training  of 
teachers  and  leaders. 

This  scheme  of  community  organization  for  relig- 
ious education,  given  here  in  bare  outline,  may  be  elab- 
orated or  simplified  according  to  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity, It  is  believed,  however,  that  the  principles 
of  administration  which  are  here  suggested  are  essen- 
tial to  the  successful  conduct  of  community  enter- 
prises in  religious  education.  Details  concerning  the 
work  of  the  Council,  the  Board,  the  Superintendent, 
and  the  various  constituent  schools,  may  be  found  in 
the  Appendix  to  this  Report. 

III.  What  can  the  Department  of  Religious  Edu- 
cation Do  TO  Correlate  the  Educational 
Programs  of  the  Various  Depart- 
ments OF  THE  Federation 
of  Churches? 

The  departments  of  activity  into  which  the  work 
of  a Federation  of  Churches  is  organized  must  all 
make  use  of  educational  methods,  in  order  to  train  a 
constituency  which  will  be  keenly  alive  to  the  great 


130  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 


ends  for  which  the  church  exists,  and  loyal  and  in- 
telligent in  its  support  of  the  churches’  evangelistic, 
social,  and  missionary  enterprises. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Federation  Department  of  Re- 
ligious Education  to  study  the  educational,  as  distinct 
from  the  merely  promotional,  aspects  of  the  work  of 
the  other  Church  Federation  Departments,  and  to  see 
that  these  needs  are  completely  served  by  educational 
programs  which  are  all  correlated  with  and  compre- 
hended in  the  Community  Program  of  Religious  Edu- 
cation. 

I.  Evangelism 

Every  live  church  will  seek  to  secure  the  commit- 
ment of  the  members  of  the  community  to  the  Chris- 
tian ideal.  Evangelism  has  its  educative  aspects  which 
are  both  preparatory  to  and  consequent  upon  the  pres- 
entation of  the  evangelistic  appeal.  Every  revival, 
we  are  accustomed  to  say,  should  be  followed  by  a 
definite  program  of  conservation.  True;  but  that  is 
the  wrong  word.  Merely  to  conserve  is  not  enough,  is 
not  indeed  possible;  there  must  be  progress,  develop- 
ment, growth  in  the  knowledge  and  grace  of  God,  in 
short,  Christian  education. 

The  work  of  evangelism  through  Christian  educa- 
tion is  to  be  accomplished  by  taking  advantage  of  the 
opportunities  offered  in  connection  with  the  regular 
community  and  church  programs  of  religious  educa- 
tion, and  by  providing  at  critical  points  the  proper  in- 
fluences for  securing  decision  and  for  giving  it  ex- 
pression in  appropriate  action.  The  Department  of 
Religious  Education  will  work  in  the  closest  harmony 
and  cooperation  with  the  Department  of  Evangelism, 
supplying  such  agencies  and  methods  as  are  necessary 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


131 

to  the  full  accomplishment  of  the  educational  work 
involved  in  a thoroughgoing  evangelism. 

2.  Social  Service 

Among  the  forms  of  work  recommended  to  the  De- 
partments of  Social  Service  in  the  Church  Federa- 
tions are  many  which  may  be  regarded  as  remedial  and 
reconstructive,  to  be  accomplished  through  the  coopera- 
tive effort  of  the  adult  membership  in  the  churches.  Such 
matters  as  concern  the  closer  cooperation  of  the 
churches  with  the  charity  organizations;  the  cam- 
paigns for  new  legislation  touching  the  conditions  of 
housing  and  sanitation,  hours  of  labor,  employment 
of  women  and  children,  industrial  relations,  prison  re- 
form, organized  vice,  intemperance,  and  commercial- 
ized amusement,  as  well  as  for  the  enforcement  of  ex- 
isting laws,  and  constructive  parish  work  with 
individuals  and  families  often  in  the  form  of  “case 
work,”  are  properly  matters  requiring  the  intelligent 
action  of  adults. 

Many  desirable  social  results,  however,  can  only  be 
accomplished  through  educational  methods.  The  prob- 
lem of  juvenile  delinquency  is  partly  a problem  of 
proper  community  education  of  defectives  and  partly 
a problem  of  effective  moral  and  religious  instruction ; 
the  vice  problem  is  partly  a problem  of  community 
control  of  commercial  agencies  and  of  commercialized 
recreation  and  partly  a problem  of  living  wages, 
proper  physical  training,  wholesome  social  compan- 
ionships, a rational  program  of  community  recreation, 
and  of  cooperation  in  worth-while  enterprises  of  a 
civic,  social,  and  missionary  character. 

Moreover,  the  socializing  of  the  church  and  of  the  \ 


132  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


community  are  themselves  ends  to  be  attained  through 
education  and  social  action.  The  entire  program  of  re- 
ligious education  for  churches  and  community  must 
be  so  shaped  as  to  awaken  the  growing  child  to  the 
significance  of  all  his  social  relationships  and  to  train 
him  for  the  prompt  discharge  of  his  responsibilities  as 
a member  of  a Christian  society.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
Department  of  Religious  Education  to  see  that  the 
Federation  programs  of  instruction  in  social  subjects 
are  so  framed  as  to  attain  these  ends. 

3.  Home  and  Foreign  Missions 

What  the  church  desires  for  its  own  community  it 
must  desire  also  for  the  world  at  large.  This  calls  for 
the  cordial  support  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  for 
the  enlistment  of  recruits  for  missionary  service,  for 
their  training  and  their  support  upon  the  field,  for  the 
promotion  of  evangelism,  education,  medical  and  relief 
work,  and  moral  reforms  throughout  the  world.  Cam- 
paigns for  such  support,  financial  and  otherwise,  are 
continually  demanded,  and  call  for  abundant  informa- 
tion which  is  educational  in  its  nature. 

The  response  to  such  campaigns  will  also  depend, 
in  large  measure,  upon  constant  and  systematic  edu- 
cation of  the  young ; an  education  which  is  coextensive 
with  and  is  integrally  comprehended  in  the  whole  pro- 
gram of  Christian  education.  It  involves  the  develop- 
ment of  a missionary  attitude  and  the  missionary 
spirit,  a spirit  of  interest  in  other  individuals,  com- 
munities, and  peoples,  near  or  remote,  a spirit  of  broth- 
erhood and  cooperation  and  service.  It  involves  also 
a comprehensive  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  con- 
ditions under  which  other  peoples  live — their  needs. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


133 


their  hopes,  their  ideals.  It  involves  practise  in  vari- 
ous forms  of  ministry,  in  intelligent  missionary  giv- 
ing, and  in  cooperation  in  missionary  enterprises  of 
various  kinds.  The  Department  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion will  utilize  and  adapt  the  material  provided  by 
denominational  and  interchurch  agencies,  incorporat- 
ing it  in  the  program  of  religious  education  so  as  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  young  people  in  the  local  church 
and  community.  And  through  all  these  educational 
methods  it  will  seek  to  develop  a church  and  commu- 
nity consciousness  of  responsibility  for  home  and  for- 
eign missions  and  will  labor  to  enlist  recruits  for  life 
service  at  home  and  abroad. 

4.  International  Justice  and  Goodwill 

The  consciousness  of  responsibility  for  world-wide 
missions  involves  also  the  Christianizing  of  inter- 
national relationships.  These  are  matters  of  diplo- 
macy and  of  national  legislation,  oftentimes.  Never- 
theless, the  forms  of  legislation  and  diplomacy  will  de- 
pend increasingly  upon  the  state  of  public  opinion, 
and  this  is  determined  largely  in  the  local  community. 
There  will  be  times  when  the  Christian  sentiment  of 
the  community  must  be  mobilized  in  the  interest  of 
international  justice,  and  when  it  will  demand  that 
the  diplomacy  of  its  representatives  in  the  national 
government  shall  express  internationally  a spirit  of 
goodwill.  At  such  times  much  can  be  done  through 
educational  campaigns,  lecture  courses,  pageants, 
photo-plays,  and  debates  to  shape  and  to  formulate 
the  thinking  of  adults. 

The  effectiveness  of  these  campaigns,  moreover, 
will  depend  upon  the  thoroughness  with  which  the 


134  the  manual  of  INTER-OHURCH  work 


young  have  been  previously  taught,  upon  the  degree 
in  which  the  whole  educational  program  has  been  re- 
lated to  questions  of  international  and  interracial 
relationship  so  as  to  produce  in  each  individual  a 
sensitiveness  of  conscience  regarding  every  form  of 
race  discrimination  and  injustice,  and  on  the  other 
hand,  an  attitude  of  appreciation,  sympathy,  and  fel- 
low-feeling toward  the  representatives  of  every  race, 
whether  in  this  or  in  other  lands.  The  Department  of 
Religious  Education  will  see  that  the  educational  pro- 
gram makes  adequate  provision  for  these  needs. 

5.  The  Educational  Function  Fundamental 

Thus  the  performance  of  any  of  the  great  func- 
tions of  the  church  is  dependent  upon  and  conditioned 
by  the  effectiveness  with  which  the  educational  func- 
tion is  discharged.  It  is  not  a question  of  choice  be- 
tween the  educational  and  the  other  functions;  the 
educational  function  is  fundamental  to  all  others; 
other  things  being  equal,  the  more  completely  and 
thoroughly  this  is  provided  for  the  more  effective  will 
all  the  work  of  the  church  become. 

6.  A Comprehensive  Educational  Program  is  Necessary 

a.  The  Educational  Program  Should  Be  Inclusive 

The  content  of  the  educational  program  is  determined 
by  the  needs  of  the  situation.  If  it  is  desirable  that 
young  people  should  grow  up  conscious  of  their  re- 
sponsibilities as  members  of  the  community ; con- 
scious of  their  duty  to  help  in  its  evangelization,  in  the 
solving  of  community  problems,  in  extending  Chris- 
tian conditions  and  in  promoting  ideals  throughout 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


I3S 

the  world,  and  in  securing  between  all  nations  a Chris- 
tian treatment  of  each  other — all  these  and  whatever 
else  is  deemed  necessary  should  be  included  within 
the  educational  program. 

b.  The  Educational  Program  Should  Be  a Unity 

The  form  of  the  educational  program  is  determined 

by  the  nature  of  the  person  to  be  educated.  We  may 
think  of  ourselves  now  as  evangelists,  or  again  as  en- 
gaged in  social  service,  or  as  devoted  to  the  mission- 
ary enterprise,  or  as  seeking  international  justice  and 
goodwill.  But  these  various  forms  of  Christian  effort 
are  interdependent  and  interrelated,  and  we  labor  most 
effectively  when  we  throw  our  whole  selves  into  any 
of  them.  For  convenience  of  administration  it  is  often 
expedient  to  work  through  organizations  which  deal 
with  one  or  another  specific  aspect  of  Christian  ser- 
vice, but  for  educational  purposes  it  is  wasteful  and 
hazardous  to  attempt  to  provide  distinct  and  un- 
related programs  for  each  phase  of  the  educational 
process.  The  educational  program  should  be  so  for- 
mulated as  not  only  to  include  all  that  belongs  in  the 
Christian  life,  but  each  part  should  be  so  adjusted  to 
every  other  part  that  the  whole  effect  will  be  cumula- 
tive, each  reenforcing  the  other. 

c.  The  Educational  Program  Should  Embrace  the 
Whole  of  Life 

The  program  must  be  planned  for  life  as  a whole. 
The  church  is  concerned  with  the  development  of  life. 
The  educational  program,  therefore,  should  present 
the  educational  material  in  such  manner,  and  at  such 
times,  as  will  best  serve  that  development.  Whatever 
organization  or  agency  within  the  local  church  is  to 
concern  itself  with  education  should  become  so  related 
to  other  agencies  as  to  enhance  the  effectiveness  of  the 


136  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-OHURCH  WORK 

whole  educational  process.  This  means  that  the  edu- 
cational program  should  be  planned  for  the  church  as 
a whole,  rather  than  by  the  various  agencies  of  the 
church  acting  individually  and  independently. 

d.  The  Educational  Program  Should  Be  a Community 
Program 

The  church  is  not  the  only  educational  force  in  the 
community.  The  home,  the  school,  the  playground, 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the  organizations 
of  Scouts  and  Camp  Fires,  the  public  library,  as  well 
as  the  spontaneous  social  groupings  of  boys  and  girls, 
men  and  women,  share  with  the  church  the  educa- 
tional task.  Many  of  these,  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously— and  often  the  more  effectively  because  un- 
consciously— are  working  for  ends  similar  to  those  for 
which  the  church  is  striving.  It  is  important  that  all 
these  efforts  be  conserved,  that  all  possible  waste  from 
overlapping,  or  overlooking,  be  eliminated.  Rarely 
can  a single  church  secure,  unaided,  the  coordination 
of  effort  so  necessary  to  the  highest  results.  More- 
over, such  coordination  and  community  planning  de- 
mands expert  leadership  of  a type  which  few  individ- 
ual churches  possess.  Hence,  the  necessity  of  some 
form  of  federated  organization  which  will  make  pos- 
sible the  securing  of  such  leadership. 

APPENDIX 

One  Type  of  Community  Organization 

(The  following  detailed  statement,  drawn  largely 
from  Malden  Leaflet,  No.  3,^  may  be  regarded  as  an  il- 

‘By  Professor  Walter  S.  Athearn,  Pilgrim  Press,  Boston, 
Mass. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


137 


lustration  of  the  manner  in  which  the  details  of  organ- 
ization may  be  worked  out  in  any  given  community, 
though  adapted,  of  course,  to  the  requirements  of  the 
local  situation.) 

I,  The  duties  of  the  Community  Council  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows: 

a.  Constant  and  serious  study  of  the  local  community 
problem  of  religious  education.  The  members  of  the 
Community  Council  will  be  guided  in  this  study  by 
the  educational  director  or  superintendent  who  will 
be  employed  to  outline  and  administer  the  community 
program  of  religious  education.  Every  month  or  two 
the  Council  will  meet  for  open  discussion  of  local  con- 
ditions in  their  relation  to  religious  education.  Public 
libraries  will  gladly  provide  books  for  such  commu- 
nity study  and  magazine  articles,  pamphlets,  reprints, 
and  bibliographies  may  be  purchased  at  a nominal 
cost  for  wide  distribution  among  the  members  of  the 
Council. 

b.  The  creating  of  a community  consciousness  with 
respect  to  moral  and  religious  education.  This  may  be 
done  through  mass-meetings,  newspaper  publicity, 
the  distribution  of  pamphlets  and  books,  participation 
in  community  pageants,  and  such  other  ways  as  the 
ingenuity  of  the  Council  may  devise.  In  the  last  anal- 
ysis the  effectiveness  of  the  plan  for  community  edu- 
cation in  religion  will  depend  upon  the  intensity  of 
the  public  demand  which  springs  from  a conscious- 
ness of  community  need. 

c.  The  direction  of  community  surveys  to  determine 
the  exact  nature  of  the  conditions  which  must  be  met 
by  the  community  through  religious  education. 

d.  The  development  of  a community  or  city  system 
of  religious  education. 


138  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


e.  The  election  of  the  Community  Board  of  Religious 
Education. 

2.  The  Community  Council  of  Religious  Education 
sustains  the  following  important  relationships: 

z.  To  the  local  church  schools.  The  Covmcil  has  its 
field  of  authority  within  the  community;  it  claims  no 
rights  within  the  local  churches.  It  has  no  desire  to 
interfere  with  the  doctrines,  ideals,  methods,  text- 
books, etc.,  of  the  local  Sunday-school.  These  are  fam- 
ily, denominational  matters,  and  community  special- 
ist will  enter  this  field  only  upon  invitation,  and  then 
only  as  counselors  and  friendly  advisers,  not  as  dicta- 
tors. The  services  of  the  community  experts  will  be 
freely  given  to  all  churches  asking  for  help  and  advice. 

h.  To  public  schools.  The  public  schools  and  the 
church  schools  belong  to  the  same  community.  The 
Council  will  seek  for  the  proper  division  of  the  child’s 
time  between  the  two  systems  and  use  its  influence  in 
securing  harmonious  relations  between  the  two 
systems. 

c.  To  parochial  and  synagog  schools.  The  Cotmcil 
will  seek  the  most  harmonious  relations  among  the 
schools  maintained  by  all  religious  bodies.  It  will 
strive  to  remove  sources  of  misunderstanding  and  bit- 
terness and  develop  a community  confidence  which 
will  make  citizenship  synonymous  with  brotherhood. 

d.  To  community  welfare  movements.  The  Council 
will  not  attempt  to  take  over  the  duties  of  community 
welfare  organizations.  It  will  endeavor  to  create  the 
public  sentiment  to  sustain  community  welfare  move- 
ments, it  will  furnish  a religious  motive  for  social 
service,  and  it  will  develop  the  ideals  which  inspire 
apd  guide  all  social  welfare  agencies. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


139 


3.  The  budget  of  the  Council  will  increase  as  the  sys- 
tem of  religious  education  develops.  When  the  work 
of  the  Council  is  done  by  the  Federation  Department 
of  Religious  Education,  the  chief  source  of  income  is 
naturally  the  Federation  of  Churches.  The  following 
are  other  legitimate  sources  of  revenue  for  community 
religious  education: 

a.  Endowment.  The  present  situation  demands  mil- 
lions of  dollars  for  the  adequate  support  of  religious 
education.  There  is  no  more  patriotic  service  which 
public-spirited  citizens  may  render  than  to  provide  for 
the  permanent  endowment  of  community  programs  of 
religious  education. 

b.  Church  Budget.  Increasingly  churches  are  add- 
ing to  their  regular  budget  the  expenses  of  the  local 
church  school.  It  should  become  the  policy  of 
churches  to  include  in  the  regular  budget  of  the  year  a 
contribution  for  community  religious  education,  either 
directly  or  through  the  Federation  Department  of 
Religious  Education. 

c.  Personal  contributions.  There  are  many  citizens 
who  will  be  glad  to  contribute  largely  to  a thorough- 
going program  of  religious  education. 

d.  Tuition  fees.  Students  in  the  community  school  of 
religious  education  should  pay  an  enrolment  fee  of 
from  two  to  five  dollars  each. 

4.  The  Community  Board  of  Religious  Education 

This  board  consists  of  three,  five,  seven,  or  nine 
members  depending  upon  the  size  of  the  community. 
The  board  sustains  substantially  the  same  relation- 
ship to  the  community  system  of  religious  education 


140  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 

that  a board  of  education  holds  to  the  administration 
of  a system  of  public  schools.  This  board  will  elect 
a city  superintendent  of  religious  education  who  may 
also  be  the  director  of  the  community  training-school 
for  religious  leaders.  It  will  approve  the  faculty,  cur- 
riculum, and  text-books  recommended  by  the  superin- 
tendent, formulate  suitable  rules  and  regulations  for 
all  schools  operated  by  the  board,  secure  suitable 
quarters  for  all  schools,  and  have  general  supervision 
over  the  educational  work  undertaken  by  the  Commu- 
nity Council  of  Religious  Education.  This  board  will 
select  its  own  chairman  and  secretary.  It  will  make 
an  annual  report  to  the  Community  Council  of  Relig- 
ious Education  and  submit  a detailed  requisition  for 
the  budget  for  the  ensuing  year. 

5.  The  Community  Superintendent  of  Religious 
Education 

The  development  of  a community  system  of  relig- 
ious education  demands  professional  leadership. 
There  are  technical  educational  problems  involved 
which  require  the  highly  trained  expert.  There  are 
also  problems  of  organization  and  administration 
which  demand  the  attention  of  a skilful  executive. 
This  type  of  service  should  be  performed  by  a com- 
munity superintendent  of  religious  education,  whose 
duties  are  analogous  to  those  of  a city  superintendent 
of  schools. 

a.  Qualifications.  This  officer  should  have  unques- 
tioned Christian  character  and  large  sympathies.  He 
should  have  a broad  general  education,  a knowledge  of 
community  problems,  sociology,  and  psychology.  In 
addition  to  this  training  a community  superintendent 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


141 

of  religious  education  should  have  special  training  in 
the  field  of  religion  and  Biblical  history  and  literature, 
and  an  extended  technical  training  in  the  field  of  relig- 
ious education.  Beyond  this  he  should  have  rare 
judgment,  tact,  and  executive  ability. 

b.  Duties.  Among  the  duties  of  this  officer  the  fol- 
lowing may  be  enumerated : 

(a)  Directing  the  development  of  the  community 
system  of  religious  education,  as  its  executive  head. 

(b)  Directing  the  reading  and  study  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Community  Council  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion. This  involves  the  preparation  or  selection  of 
study  material,  bibliographies,  etc. 

(c)  Directing  the  Community  Institute  of  Relig- 
ious Education.  This  involves  the  building  of  the  cur- 
riculum, selection,  training,  and  supervising  of  the  fac- 
ulty of  the  Institute,  and  the  direction  of  the  studies  of 
the  student  body.  The  curriculum  should  be  unified 
and  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  community. 

(d)  The  supervision  of  week-day  religious  schools 
operated  under  the  Community  Board  of  Religious 
Education.  This  will  involve  building  the  courses  of 
study,  supervising  instruction,  and  relating  these 
schools  to  the  programs  of  the  public  schools  and  the 
Sunday  sessions  of  the  church  schools,  as  well  as  to 
those  of  the  Institute,  which  may  have  certain  classes 
for  purposes  of  demonstration,  practise  teaching,  and 
experiment. 

(e)  The  coordinating  of  all  religious  educational 
agencies  of  the  community.  This  will  involve  sur- 
veys, and  the  compilation  of  facts  upon  which  the 
Community  Council  of  Religious  Education  can  base 
a constructive  program.  Gradually  all  overlapping 


142  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


and  conflicts  will  be  eliminated,  and  neglected  work 
will  be  given  attention. 

(f)  The  gathering  of  statistics,  and  the  mainte- 
nance of  a central  office  where  information  of  interest 
to  all  the  church  schools  and  to  educational  leaders 
may  be  had  upon  application.  Uniform  records  for 
the  community  are  desirable. 

(g)  The  supervision  of  pageants,  festivals,  and 
dramas  in  which  the  pupils  and  the  community  co- 
operate. 

c.  Authority.  The  superintendent  of  religious  edu- 
cation should  exercise  undisputed  authority  over  the 
schools  and  activities  which  are  under  the  direction 
of  the  Community  Board  of  Religious  Education.  He 
will  have  only  an  advisory  relationship  to  the  local 
church  schools.  Upon  invitation  he  will  give  direc- 
tion to  the  work  of  local  churches.  The  smaller 
schools,  unable  to  employ  trained  directors  of  religious 
education,  will  be  able  to  get  expert  assistance  from 
the  community  superintendent.  The  tactful  superin- 
tendent will  be  able  to  go  from  church  to  church  as  an 
expert  adviser  without  interfering  with  denomina- 
tional authority  over  the  local  church.  The  superin- 
tendent of  religious  education  should  rank  with  the 
community  superintendent  of  public  schools.  The 
most  harmonious  relations  should  exist  between  these 
two  educators. 

d.  Methods  of  Supervision.  The  superintendent  and 
his  assistants  (for  in  large  city  systems  there  will  be 
specialized  supervision)  will  use  a variety  of  methods 
of  supervision.  The  following  may  be  enumerated: 

(a)  The  erection  of  common  standards  as  a basis 
of  inspection  and  classification. 

(b)  The  gathering  and  interpretation  of  statistics 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


143 


in  individual  schools  and  for  the  community  as  a 
whole. 

(c)  Observation  work  and  practise  teaching.  The 
students  in  training  may  observe  good  teachers  under 
direction,  and  actual  lesson-plan  writing  and  practise 
teaching  under  supervision  may  be  arranged  in  the 
week-day  schools,  and  in  the  various  Sunday  sessions 
of  the  church  schools.  For  this  purpose  special  classes 
or  departments  may  be  developed  as  demonstration 
centers.  The  best  talent  in  the  schools  of  the  com- 
munity may  soon  be  developed  into  satisfactory  lead- 
ership for  these  centers  under  direction  of  a trained 
superintendent. 

(d)  Exemplary  classes.  Expert  teachers  may  con- 
duct classes  in  different  grades  or  subjects  in  the  pres- 
ence of  teachers  who  have  been  called  together  to  see 
concrete  illustrations  of  the  methods  advocated  by  the 
superintendent. 

(e)  Personal  conference  with  teachers  and  officers. 

(f)  The  formation  of  professional  associations, 
such  as  an  Association  of  Supervising  Officers,  the 
Association  of  Primary  Grade  Teachers,  etc. 

(g)  The  stimulation  of  professional  reading. 

(h)  Mass-meetings  of  citizens  for  discussion  of 
vital  community  problems,  thus  creating  public  senti- 
ment to  sustain  the  advanced  methods. 

(i)  Mass-meetings  of  teachers  and  officers  in  the 
religious  schools  of  the  community  for  the  purpose  of 
creating  common  ideals. 

(j)  Group  meetings  for  the  discussion  of  specific 
topics. 

(k)  Exhibits  of  the  work  of  the  school  to  create 
community  cooperation. 


144  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


(1)  Exhibits  for  the  information  of  special  classes 
or  groups  of  teachers, 

6.  The  Community  System  of  Religious  Schools 

The  following  types  of  schools  may  be  regarded  as 
constituting  a community  system  of  religious  schools : 

A.  The  Sunday  Schools  of  the  Various  Churches. 
These  schools  will  be  at  the  heart  of  the  system  of 
religious  education  for  the  community.  While  abso- 
lutely under  the  control  of  the  local  church,  they 
should  be  regarded  as  integral  parts  of  a community’s 
system  of  religious  education.  These  schools  should 
be  raised  to  the  highest  degree  of  efficiency.  Their 
courses  of  study  and  programs  should  be  coordinated 
with  those  of  the  week-day  schools  and  the  Commu- 
nity Training  School  of  Religious  Education,  All 
community  programs  should  reenforce  and  strength- 
en the  schools  maintained  by  the  local  churches.  It 
is  at  this  point  that  the  influence  of  the  city,  county, 
and  state  or  provincial  Sunday  School  Association  sys- 
tem can  be  most  profitably  employed.  Part  of  the  pro- 
gram of  advance  here  set  forth  will  consist  in  move- 
ments for  sustaining  and  enforcing  this  organization, 
giving  it  the  highest  possible  type  of  leadership,  and 
insisting  on  its  fulfilment  of  the  functions  entrusted 
to  it  in  the  community  system. 

B.  Vacation  Schools  of  Religion.  In  many  communi- 
ties the  vacation  may  be  used  for  religious  training. 
All  church  vacation  schools  operated  in  a community 
should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  Community 
Board  of  Religious  Education. 

C.  Week-day  Schools  of  Religion.  An  adequate  com- 
munity program  of  Christian  education  will  involve  more 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


US 


time  than  is  available  in  the  ordinary  Sunday-school  ses- 
sion. Just  how  soon  a given  community  should  under- 
take to  establish  a week-day  school  of  religion  will  de- 
pend upon  a variety  of  considerations,  such  as  the  supply 
of  skilled  teachers,  the  strength  of  community  sentiment 
demanding  such  a school,  the  financial  resources  of  the 
community,  etc.  A community  clearly  ought  not  to  un- 
dertake such  a responsibility  until  all  its  possibilities 
for  success  or  failure  have  been  thoroughly  canvassed 
and  a complete  plan  has  been  carefully  worked  out  in 
detail  under  skilled  leadership  with  capable  instruc- 
tors for  carrying  it  into  effect. 

A church  which  contemplates  week-day  religious 
instruction  has  no  right  to  ask  for  the  time  of  children 
on  week-days  unless  it  is  already  doing  all  that  is  pos- 
sible for  them  on  Sundays.  Church  schools  should 
not  ask  the  public  schools  to  readjust  their  program 
until  their  equipment  and  their  teaching  force  compare 
favorably  with  those  of  the  public  schools.  All  these 
conditions  demand  thoroughgoing  community  pro- 
grams of  teacher  training.  Teacher  training  is  serious 
business.  Upon  its  success  depends  the  future  of  the 
church.  Pastors  and  church  boards  should  demand 
trained  intelligence  on  the  part  of  religious  teachers. 
They  should  be  willing  to  lead  their  teachers  to  heroic 
efforts  and  financial  sacrifices  to  the  end  that  the  chil- 
dren may  be  nurtured  in  the  knowledge  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord. 

These  schools  will  reenforce  the  church  Sunday- 
schools  and  should  be  correlated  with  the  curriculum 
and  time  schedule  of  the  public  schools.  There  are 
many  problems  involved  in  the  development  of  this 
system  of  schools.  Their  success  involves : 

a.  An  adequate  supply  of  trained  lay  teachers. 


146  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


b.  A curriculum  suited  to  the  need  of  the  various 
grades  and  related  to  the  programs  of  Sunday  and 
public  school  instruction. 

c.  An  enlightened  public  sentiment  which  will  in- 
sure the  necessary  moral  and  financial  support  and  pre- 
vent misunderstandings  and  partisan  controversies. 

D.  The  Community  Institute  of  Religious  Education. 
The  first  essential  to  success  in  any  educational  enter- 
prise is  an  adequate  supply  of  skilled  teachers.  It  is 
the  purpose  of  the  Institute  to  provide  such  teachers. 

The  community  institute  of  religious  education  is 
a high-grade  day  or  evening  training  school.  It 
will  attempt  to  do  for  the  training  of  religious  educa- 
tors what  a city  or  state  normal  college  does  for  the 
training  of  secular  teachers.  The  curriculum  of  the 
school  will  cover  all  phases  of  the  educational  work  of 
the  local  church  and  the  community.  The  two  distin- 
guishing features  of  this  school  are: 

a.  A unified  educational  program  in  which  all 
courses  will  harmonize  with  an  educational  policy 
which  the  entire  faculty  is  expected  to  promote.  This 
means  supervision  and  direction  of  all  work  by  the 
Community  Board  of  Religious  Education  through  the 
Community  Superintendent  of  Religious  Education. 

b.  The  courses  offered  by  the  school  will  contrib- 
ute to  a community-wide  program  of  religious  educa- 
tion. The  lectures  delivered,  the  literature  distributed, 
and  the  bulletins  issued  should  contribute  to  the  build- 
ing of  a community  ideal  which  will  give  common  con- 
ceptions and  unity  of  purpose,  so  that  an  adequate 
system  of  religious  education  may  be  established. 

E.  Lecture  Courses  of  a Popular  Character  may  prop- 
erly be  included  as  a part  of  the  community  system  of 
religious  education. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


147 


In  most  communities  one  or  more  of  these  types  of 
schools  is  already  to  be  found,  in  addition  to  the  Sun- 
day-schools. In  such  instances  it  is  not  intended,  of 
course,  to  duplicate  these  agencies,  but  rather  to  seek 
their  cooperation  in  and  unification  with  the  commu- 
nity system  of  religious  education.  The  same  is  true 
of  other  educational  agencies  not  specifically  men- 
tioned, but  whose  programs  need  also  to  be  coordi- 
nated with  the  general  community  program. 


VI 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMITTEE 
ON  A DEPARTMENT  OF  RELIG- 
IOUS PUBLICITY 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 

Stelzle,  Rev.  Charles,  Chairman  New  York  City 

Field  Secretary,  Federal  Council  of  Churches 

Ashley,  W.  B.  New  York  City 

Managing  Editor,  Boys’  Life 

Grose,  Rev.  Howard  B.  Boston,  Mass. 

Editor,  Missions,  American  Baptist  Publication  Society 

Innes,  George  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Secretary,  Board  of  Trustees,  Cairo  University 
Jenkins,  Rev.  Paul  B.  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Pastor.  Immanuel  Presbyterian  Church 

McClure,  W.  F.  Evanston,  111. 

Manager,  Publicity  Department,  Redpath  Bureau 

Montague,  Rev.  J.  Y.  Toledo,  Ohio 

Former  Executive  Secretary,  Toledo  Federation  of 
Churches 

Norton,  Rev.  W.  B.  Chicago,  111. 

Religious  Editor,  Chicago  Tribune 

Reisner,  Rev.  Christian  F.  New  York  City 

Pastor,  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Schermerhorn,  James  Detroit,  Mich. 

Editor,  Detroit  Times 

Smith,  Rev.  Roy  L.  Chicago,  111. 

Pastor,  St.  Paul’s  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Stone,  H.  W.  Portland,  Ore. 

General  Secretary,  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 

Weigle,  Rev.  D.  E.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pastor,  Messiah  Lutheran  Church 

Williams,  Talcott  New  York  City 

Director,  School  of  Journalism,  Columbia  University 

Williamson,  Oliver  R.  Chicago,  111. 

Publisher,  The  Continent 

149 


150  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


It  is  a serious  question  as  to  how  large  a place  the 
church  will  have  in  the  reorganization  of  world  forces. 
This  is  a time  above  all  others  when  the  church  should 
proclaim  the  principles  which  are  to  dominate  in  the 
new  world  democracy  for  which  the  nations  are  fight- 
ing. 

While  it  may  be  important  for  the  church  to  invite 
men  to  invest  their  money  in  the  enterprises  in  which 
the  church  is  engaged,  it  is  still  more  important  for 
the  church  to  persuade  them  to  invest  their  lives  in 
the  work  that  the  church  is  doing.  This  may  be  ac- 
complished only  as  the  tasks  of  the  church  are  pre- 
sented in  the  biggest  fashion  possible.  Men  these 
days  are  not  attracted  by  petty  enterprises  nor  are 
they  won  by  easy  tasks. 

The  greatest  appeal  of  the  church  should  be  to 
"come  and  suffer.”  Men  will  respond  to  this  heroic 
appeal.  This  is  being  demonstrated  the  world  over 
in  the  war  in  which  we  are  now  engaged.  Again  and 
again  it  is  proved  by  the  type  of  men  who  are  going 
to  their  work  in  foreign  fields  among  the  submerged 
peoples  of  the  world. 

Relatively  the  church’s  task  in  every  local  com- 
munity is  equally  important  and  if  the  work  of  the 
church  can  be  presented  with  a masterful  passion,  de- 
manding great  things  of  its  followers  and  of  the  world, 
the  church  will  conquer  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
Religious  publicity  will  help  to  accomplish  this  task. 

I.  Principles  of  Religious  Publicity 

The  fundamental  idea  in  religious  publicity  should 
be  to  promote  religion — not  the  church,  not  the 
preacher,  but  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the 


RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 


I5I 

greatest  thing  in  the  world.  It  is  so  big  and  broad  that 
every  man  who  catches  its  spirit  and  is  honestly  try- 
ing to  bring  in  the  kingdom  of  God  should  feel  that  he 
will  be  made  welcome  in  the  church  which  promotes 
this  gospel. 

The  church  is  simply  a means  to  an  end.  It  can 
have  its  being  only  as  it  makes  Christianity  vital  to 
men,  and  it  will  become  attractive  only  as  it  makes 
men  see  that  it  is  the  best  and  truest  exponent  of 
Christianity — for  there  are  other  agencies  which  insist 
that  they  too  express  the  principles  of  Jesus. 

And  let  it  be  remembered  that  the  burden  of  this 
matter  rests  upon  the  church,  not  upon  the  man  out- 
side the  church.  For  be  it  known  to  all  churchmen 
that  there  is  no  specific  command  in  the  Scripture  for 
the  non-Christian  to  attend  the  churches.  The  com- 
mands in  the  Bible  referring  to  church  attendance  are 
addressed  to  those  who  are  already  -within  the  church. 

Religious  publicity  is  a science.  It  is  founded 
upon  the  laws  of  psychology,  sociology,  theology,  and 
all  the  laws  which  apply  to  ordinary  advertising. 
There  is  no  hocus-pocus  method  whereby  the  church 
may  be  brought  to  the  favorable  attention  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  same  painstaking  efforts  are  required  in 
religious  publicity  that  are  demanded  in  commercial 
advertising.  It  is  because  the  church  has  been  un- 
- willing  to  observe  these  fundamental  principles  that 
it  has  often  failed.  But  let  us  beware  of  the  unintel- 
ligent enthusiasm  of  some  ministers  and  some  adver- 
tising men  who  know  so  little  practically  of  the  church 
and  of  advertising  that  they  think  impossible  things 
can  be  done  by  merely  buying  space  and  filling  it  with 
words. 

The  mere  fact  that  one  advertises  does  not  neces- 


IS2  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


sarily  spell  success.  Some  preachers  who  use  common 
sense  get  results  without  paying  any  attention  to  or- 
ganized publicity  or  advertising  campaigns.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  if  they  had  used  common  sense  plus 
publicity  the  results  would  have  been  even  greater, 
but  let  us  hold  no  illusion  as  to  what  printers’  ink  will 
accomplish  for  the  church. 

Afer  all,  it  is  not  primarily  printers’  ink  or  the 
printed  page  that  produce  results.  It  is  brain  power 
put  into  the  printed  page  plus  the  organization  and 
the  method  whereby  the  church’s  program  is  presented 
to  the  people.  The  fact  that  the  method  of  presenting 
this  program  to  men  is  unusual  does  not  necessarily 
make  it  objectionable.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
all  kinds  of  people  are  to  be  reached  and  it  is  perfectly 
obvious  that  the  ordinary  method  has  failed  to  reach 
some  outsiders.  Whatever  will  do  this  effectively 
should  be  employed.  However,  nothing  that  is  coarse 
or  undignified  should  be  permitted. 

Jesus  did  many  things  which  in  his  day  were 
counted  “sensational.”  Even  a cursory  reading  of  the 
Gospels  will  indicate  this  fact.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
Jesus  would  adapt  himself  to  twentieth  century  condi- 
tions were  he  here  to-day.  But  Jesus  was  never 
coarse.  He  was  always  a gentleman  both  in  his  lan- 
guage and  in  his  methods  of  work. 

The  final  test  as  to  whether  or  not  a certain  method 
is  to  be  employed  by  the  church  is  not  only  whether  it 
will  succeed  in  securing  larger  attendances  but 
whether  while  doing  so  it  will  not  also  drive  away 
other  sincere  persons  who  should  be  held  by  the 
church. 


RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 


153 


II,  Planning  an  Advertising  Campaign 

Back  of  every  advertising  campaign  there  should 
be  certain  elements  which  will  permeate  the  entire 
task — enthusiasm,  optimism,  expectancy,  persuasive- 
ness, sincerity,  definiteness — and  it  should  always  have 
a positive  note.  Never  was  there  a successful  adver- 
tising campaign  built  upon  negatives.  The  campaign 
should  be  planned  for  an  entire  year  in  advance,  the 
expense  being  listed  in  the  regular  budget  for  the 
year’s  work. 

The  group  of  churches  cooperating  in  the  Federa- 
tion should  regard  the  Federation’s  advertising  de- 
partment as  their  own,  so  that  there  may  be  harmony 
of  effort  and  so  that  each  organization  may  have  the 
benefit  of  expert  opinion  and  practise.  The  campaign 
should  be  in  direct  charge  of  a competent  advertising 
manager  to  whom  the  churches  and  those  responsible 
for  various  organizations  and  departments  may  look 
for  counsel. 

While  groups  of  churches  should  carry  on  a united 
advertising  propaganda,  this  should  be  supplemented 
by  advertising  of  a special  character  by  each  individ- 
ual church.  The  best  thing  that  will  come  of  a gen- 
eral campaign  is  the  creation  of  an  atmosphere  favor- 
able to  the  church.  The  individual  church  must  make 
the  most  of  this  atmosphere  by  directing  men  to  par- 
ticular religious  enterprises. 

III.  Preparing  Advertising  Material 

In  preparing  a sermon  the  preacher  begins  with  a 
text,  presents  his  introduction,  outlines  his  arguments, 
and  ends  with  a climax.  He  can  do  this  because  his 


154  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


audience  will  usually  stay  by  him  until  he  has  finished 
his  address.  In  preparing  an  advertisement  this  proc- 
ess is  reversed.  The  climax  is  put  into  the  headline, 
then  follows  the  argument,  the  least  important  item 
usually  being  placed  at  the  end  so  that  in  case  inter- 
est is  lost  the  main  facts  will  have  been  absorbed. 

The  advertising  man’s  methods  should  usually  be 
followed  in  publicity  work,  especially  in  preparing  a 
story  for  the  newspapers,  because  there  are  a hundred 
other  headlines  calling  for  attention.  Try  to  tell  the 
principal  facts  in  the  first  paragraph.  Then  develop 
these  ideas  in  so  far  as  space  will  permit. 

In  preparing  a poster  or  card  advertising  a meeting 
there  are  ordinarily  four  items — the  speaker,  the  sub- 
ject, the  place  of  meeting,  and  the  time.  Which  one  of 
these  is  to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  advertisement 
will  depend  upon  its  importance  or  popularity. 

The  advertisement  must  not  be  loaded  down  with 
facts  which  every  one  knows,  nor  with  superfluous  lan- 
guage. Employ  the  old  Anglo-Saxon  words  which 
workmen  understand — and  other  folks  will  understand 
them  too.  Martin  Luther  always  preached  to  the  serv- 
ant-girls in  the  back  seat. 

IV.  Newspaper  Publicity 

The  value  of  the  daily  newspaper  as  a publicity 
medium  is  that  it  gets  into  the  homes  of  the  people 
every  day  and  it  is  not  looked  upon  with  suspicion  as 
some  other  kinds  of  publicity  methods  might  be.  The 
newspaper  reaches  more  people  than  can  be  reached  in 
any  other  way  with  the  expenditure  of  the  same 
amount  of  money. 

Churchmen  sometimes  complain  about  the  inaccur- 


RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 


155 


acies  of  newspapers  but  they  rarely  give  the  news- 
papers the  slightest  assistance  in  getting  the  story 
^straight.  Reporters  are  looked  upon  as  intruders  in- 
stead of  friends.  Editors  are  often  bluntly  told  by  min- 
isters that  if  they  want  copies  of  their  sermons  they 
will  have  to  send  a reporter  to  take  them  in  shorthand, 
forgetting  that  the  newspaper  can  better  afford  to  do 
without  the  minister’s  sermon  than  the  minister  can 
afford  not  to  have  it  printed. 

Brief  synopses  written  by  the  preacher  would 
greatly  assist  the  editor  and  the  reporter  in  giving  the 
address  the  best  kind  of  publicity. 

There  are  certain  kinds  of  news  which  editors  pre- 
fer to  print.  First,  that  which  affects  the  largest  num- 
ber of  people,  and  second,  that  which  refers  to  people 
of  prominence.  Church  publicity,  therefore,  may  be 
secured  by  linking  church  news  with  well-known 
names.  Statistics  and  resolutions,  if  briefly  stated,  will 
also  secure  the  attention  of  the  editor.  Typewritten 
copies  of  such  material  should  be  made  readily  avail- 
able for  the  use  of  the  press. 

Stories  of  human  interest  usually  have  the  right  of 
way.  For  instance, — the  story  of  the  minister  who 
climbed  out  on  the  roof  and  strung  a wire  so  that  an 
old  lady  could  have  a telephone  put  into  her  room 
where  she  could  sit  with  the  receiver  to  her  ear  and 
hear  the  choir  sing  was  not  only  church  news  but  news 
with  a human  appeal.  Church  news  related  to  current 
events  will  secure  publicity.  For  example, — the  atti- 
tude of  the  church  on  the  liquor  question,  on  food  con- 
servation, on  social  conditions  in  soldiers’  camps. 

Newspapers  want  news  written  in  a certain  form. 
This  requires  practise  although  not  necessarily  profes- 
sional experience,  but  the  best  forms  of  newspaper 


IS6  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


writing  should  be  carefully  studied  by  the  one  who  is 
responsible  for  religious  publicity.  No  doubt  local 
editors  will  assist  in  instructing  such  a one  in  the  prep- 
aration of  copy. 

Things  done  have  more  value  than  things  said  un- 
less the  person  quoted  has  in  himself  the  highest  news 
value.  Usually  the  newspaper  story  should  be  a plain 
statement  of  facts  without  editorial  comment.  If 
churchmen  would  write  editors  more  frequently  show- 
ing their  interest  in  the  religious  department  of  the 
newspaper,  they  would  secure  more  space.  If  the 
church  does  not  secure  the  amount  of  space  in  the 
newspaper  which  it  thinks  it  should  have,  it  is  usually 
the  fault  of  the  church  rather  than  of  the  newspaper. 

Church  federations,  especially  in  the  larger  cities, 
could  well  afford  to  pay  for  the  services  of  a publicity 
man.  He  could  make  himself  of  great  value  to  all  of 
the  churches.  But  the  newspapers  themselves  will 
designate  competent  members  of  their  staff  for  such 
work  if  it  is  proved  to  the  editors  and  publishers  that 
the  people  actually  demand  it.  In  conventions  and  im- 
portant religious  gatherings  a trained  newspaper  man 
should  have  charge  of  the  publicity. 

It  might  be  desirable  to  make  special  arrangements 
with  one  of  the  local  newspapers  to  print  on  Monday 
mornings  reports  of  sermons,  the  churches  cooperating 
in  the  distribution  of  this  edition  through  special  sub- 
scriptions. 

V.  Paid  Advertising  in  Daily  Newspapers 

Why  should  a daily  newspaper  give  publicity  to 
church  work,  unless  it  were  to  furnish  real  news  to  its 
readers?  And  it  is  only  to  this  extent  that  the  church 


RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 


157 


is  justified  in  expecting  the  daily  newspapers  to  print 
stories  about  its  work.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that, 
after  all,  the  daily  newspaper  is  a commercial  enter- 
prise and  that  in  order  to  succeed  it  must  have  a stated 
income  and  that  a very  considerable  percentage  of  its 
income  is  derived  from  paid  advertising.  The  church 
usually  pays  regular  rates  for  every  other  commodity 
required  in  the  maintenance  of  its  work — coal,  gas,  fur- 
niture, literature — why  should  it  not  pay  for  advertis- 
ing space,  the  commodity  which  the  newspaper  has  to 
sell? 

Federations  of  churches  may  combine  in  a weekly 
full-page  appeal  in  the  advertising  columns  of  the 
newspaper,  the  upper  half  of  the  page  presenting  great 
arguments  for  Christianity,  and  the  lower  half  pre- 
senting the  announcements  of  the  individual  churches. 
The  latter  should  be  fairly  well  standardized  and  set 
up  in  such  a manner  as  to  present  a united  appeal.  The 
expense  of  a weekly  page  of  advertising  need  not  be 
very  large  for  any  particular  church,  and  each  church 
will  receive  the  full  benefit  of  the  full-page  advertise- 
ment. 

It  may  be  desirable  in  some  communities  to  have  a 
short  “editorial  paragraph”  run  on  the  editorial  page 
as  advertising  matter  and  marked  as  such.  This  para- 
graph, dealing  with  broad  religious  themes,  might  be 
used  once  a week,  perhaps  in  the  Saturday  editions  of 
the  newspaper.  However,  newspapers  are  giving  more 
and  more  attention  to  religion  from  the  editorial  stand- 
point. Indeed,  some  of  the  finest  religious  editorials 
printed  to-day  are  those  used  by  the  secular  press. 

To  make  a campaign  of  paid  advertising  really 
effective  it  should  be  continued  for  a considerable 
period  of  time — at  least  a year,  if  possible.  No  busi- 


158  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


ness  man  expects  to  obtain  results  from  the  insertion 
of  a single  advertisement.  It  must  not  be  expected 
that  the  churches  will  immediately  be  crowded  as  the 
result  of  a single  full-page  advertisement  in  the  daily 
newspapers.  It  requires  time  to  create  an  atmosphere 
favorable  to  the  church.  When  once  created,  it  will 
serve  as  the  background  of  future  publicity  campaigns. 

VI.  Recommendations,  Publicity  Commission,  Men 
AND  Religion  Forward  Movement 

An  exhaustive  study  of  the  church  and  the  press 
was  made  by  the  publicity  commission  of  the  Men  and 
Religion  Forward  Movement  a few  years  ago.  In  a 
series  of  recommendations  made  by  the  commission  it 
was  suggested  that  every  daily  newspaper  should  con- 
tain an  organized  religious  department  in  charge  of  a 
member  of  its  staff,  just  as  it  maintains  various  other 
departments.  This  department  should  cover  local  re- 
ligious news  as  promptly  and  adequately  as  any  other 
form  of  news. 

It  was  suggested  that  provision  be  made  for  the 
publication  of  important  general  religious  news  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  that  some  good  religious 
feature,  readable  to  anybody,  but  especially  prized  by 
all  interested  in  Christianity,  be  run  regularly. 

The  commission  suggested  that  the  ministers  and 
laymen  of  the  churches  keep  in  close  relationship  with 
the  makers  of  newspapers,  affording  all  the  help  possi- 
ble in  the  gathering  of  the  news  of  the  churches,  and 
that  announcements  regarding  their  hours  of  service, 
location,  etc.,  be  made  public  through  the  newspapers 
as  paid  advertisements. 

The  principal  recommendation  of  the  commission 


RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 


150 

was  that  a central  publicity  bureau  be  maintained  by  a 
competent  national  religious  agency,  preferably  the 
Federal  Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America, 
to  which  news  agencies  and  newspapers  may  apply 
by  day  or  by  night  for  the  latest  information  upon 
news  affecting  any  of  the  American  religious  organiza- 
tions in  North  America  or  abroad. 

It  was  thought  that  such  a publicity  bureau  would 
represent  equally  all  the  denominations,  which 
would  insure  its  freedom  from  sectarian  bias.  The 
statistics  of  all  religious  organizations,  the  names  and 
home  addresses  of  all  foreign  missionaries,  the  essen- 
tial facts  concerning  important  religious  developments 
should  be  on  file  with  this  bureau  and  be  accessible  to 
all  who  may  wish  to  use  them.  Occasional  bulletins 
of  information  should  be  issued  to  the  press  if 
necessary. 

This  proposal,  with  some  limitations,  may  be  car- 
ried out  by  local  federations  of  churches.  Such  local 
federations  might  cooperate  with  the  Religious  Pub- 
licity Service  of  the  Federal  Council  which  has  already 
been  organized. 

VII.  General  Publicity  Methods^ 

I.  The  religious  census  has  an  important  part  in 
an  advertising  campaign.  Such  a census  should  be 
taken  periodically  by  the  local  Federation  of  Churches, 
possibly  in  cooperation  with  the  managers  of  the  Sun- 
day-schools and  various  other  religious  organizations 
in  the  city.  A census  should  be  taken  annually  either 

‘The  items  in  this  section  are  not  intended  to  be  exhaus- 
tive. They  are  merely  suggestive  of  the  great  variety  of 
methods  the  church  may  employ  in  the  field  of  publicity. 


i6o  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


of  the  entire  city  or  of  such  sections  of  it  as  may  re- 
quire special  attention  by  the  churches. 

If,  for  example,  it  seems  desirable  to  organize  a 
special  form  of  Christian  work  in  a certain  communi- 
ty the  facts  regarding  this  community  should  be  read- 
ily available.  The  tendency  of  the  population 
throughout  the  city  should  be  constantly  studied. 
This  will  not  only  furnish  important  items  for 
publicity  but  will  give  the  churches  a background 
of  information  which  will  permit  them  to  direct 
their  work  and  organize  new  work  with  some  degree 
of  certainty  as  to  what  will  happen  in  these  com- 
munities, say  ten  years  hence.  At  any  rate  it  is  impor- 
tant that  all  the  facts  with  regard  to  a local  community 
should  be  well  in  hand  before  engaging  in  an  advertis- 
ing campaign.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important 
fundamental  things  to  be  insisted  upon  in  a publicity 
campaign  which  is  to  cover  a period  of  time. 

2.  Every  local  Federation  of  Churches  should  have 
a statistical  department.  Such  a department  might  as- 
semble the  most  up-to-date  facts  and  figures  regarding 
social  and  religious  conditions  throughout  the  entire 
city,  and  this  data  should  be  made  available  for  every 
church  desiring  such  information.  Careful  analyses 
of  the  government  census  returns,  as  they  appear  from 
time  to  time,  should  be  made.  If  these  analyses  are 
made  promptly  and  while  the  public  is  still  thinking 
about  the  figures  issued  by  the  census  bureau,  it  will 
give  the  Federation  an  unusual  opportunity  to  secure 
valuable  and  worth-while  publicity.  The  statistical 
department  should  keep  in  closest  touch  with  the 
various  civic  departments,  especially  the  Health  De- 
partment, the  Police  Department,  the  Department  of 
Vital  Statistics,  the  Board  of  Education,  the  Excise 


RELIGIOUS  PUBLICITY 


i6i 


Department,  the  Licensing  Bureau,  and  all  other  de- 
partments that  have  to  do  with  the  every-day  life  of 
the  people.  Many  interesting  stories  may  be  secured 
from  the  annual  reports  of  these  organizations  and 
naturally  the  Federation  would  deal  with  them  from 
the  religious  standpoint.  The  statistical  department 
should  become  the  authority  in  the  city  on  religious 
conditions. 

3.  An  art  department  is  equally  valuable.  Car- 
toons, posters,  photographs,  diagrams,  and  drawings 
of  various  kinds  may  be  produced  by  such  a depart- 
ment for  use  in  the  daily  newspapers  and  in  various 
other  ways,  the  chief  function  of  such  a department 
naturally  being  the  presentation  of  religious  news  and 
facts  from  the  pictorial  standpoint.  The  department 
may  also  become  useful  to  individual  churches  in  the 
preparation  of  bulletin-boards,  poster  work,  and  simi- 
lar features.  It  is  not  necessary  to  use  grotesque  pic- 
tures in  order  to  attract  attention.  The  ordinary  ad- 
vertiser uses  the  finest  art  obtainable.  Surely  the 
churches  should  not  do  less  than  this.  An  illustration 
should  be  used  only  when  it  strengthens  the  text. 
Very  frequently  illustrations  display  what  cannot  be 
told  in  type. 

4.  Permanent  exhibits  set  up  originally  by  an  ex- 
pert and  placed  where  a large  number  of  people  may 
see  them  will  make  men  think  well  of  the  church.  Not 
only  should  there  be  this  permanent  exhibit,  but  there 
should  be  an  annual  “church  week,”  when  all  the 
churches  in  the  city  unite  in  presenting  Chris- 
tianity to  the  public,  using  the  most  up-to-date  adver- 
tising methods  but  principally  the  exhibit  idea.  It 
will  be  a comparatively  easy  matter  to  secure  the  co- 
operation of  all  the  daily  newspapers  and  the  various 


i62  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


public  and  semi-public  organizations  in  town.  Frater- 
nal organizations,  labor  unions,  women’s  organiza- 
tions, clubs,  etc.,  should  cooperate  in  such  a move- 
ment. This  will  give  an  unusual  opportunity  to  say 
some  things  which  cannot  be  said  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances. 

5.  If  a considerable  number  of  people  regularly 
pass  the  church  doors  or  a certain  locality  in  the  city, 
the  bulletin-board  is  a most  effective  method.  The 
bulletin-board  should  be  artistic.  It  must  never  be 
crude  or  coarse.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  use  too 
many  words  on  the  bulletin-board.  Ordinarily  the  let- 
tering should  be  read  at  a glance  by  one  passing  in  a 
street-car,  for  example.  It  may  be  worth  while  to  bor- 
der the  bulletin-board  with  electric  lights  so  that  the 
sign  may  be  read  at  night.  When  the  bulletin-board 
is  not  being  used  to  announce  the  regular  church  ser- 
vices, it  may  be  utilized  for  the  display  of  posters  of  an 
interesting  character  such  as  those  used  in  a temper- 
ance propaganda,  child  welfare  work,  anti- tuberculosis 
crusades,  etc.  The  bulletin-board  gives  the  impression 
of  aggressiveness,  of  alertness,  and  if  the  textual  mat- 
ter is  of  the  right  kind  it  is  sure  to  have  distinct 
advertising  value. 

6.  The  mails  should  be  used  in  a publicity  cam- 
paign. Indeed,  the  use  of  letters,  circular  or  personal, 
to  specific  groups  of  people  pulls  down  the  atmosphere 
which  has  been  created  through  general  publicity  and 
makes  it  immediately  applicable  to  the  individual.  The 
right  kind  of  letters  have  strong  pulling  power  in  win- 
ning men  to  the  church.  If  they  are  sent  at  stated  in- 
tervals and  have  “punch”  they  are  sure  to  produce 
results.  Such  letters  should  be  studied  very  care- 
fully and  as  a rule  should  be  written  by  men  who 


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163 


know  how  to  use  the  mails  for  advertising  purposes. 

7.  An  active  mailing  list  should  be  kept  up  to  date 
by  the  Federation  and  should  be  available  for  the  local 
churches.  A thoroughly  organized  follow-up  system 
should  be  employed,  set  up  by  some  one  who  under- 
stands this  kind  of  a job.  Under  ordinary  circum- 
stances the  city  directory  and  the  election  sheets  post- 
ed in  polling  places  will  serve  as  a good  basis  for  a 
mailing  campaign. 

8.  The  Federation  of  Churches  might  regularly 
print  a bulletin  with  great  profit.  This  would  serve 
not  only  as  a bond  to  tie  together  the  various 
churches  and  religious  organizations  affiliated  with  the 
Federation  but  it  may  become  valuable  propaganda 
material  among  outsiders.  This  monthly  bulletin 
might  serve  the  churches  as  a “house  organ”  serves 
the  average  commercial  enterprise. 

9.  The  function  of  the  religious  newspaper  of  the 
right  type  is  to  inspire,  to  educate,  to  inform,  to  unify. 
It  inspires  by  keeping  a broad  vision  before  the  people 
who  are  dealing  primarily  with  local  tasks  which 
tend  to  make  them  narrow  in  their  outlook.  It  edu- 
cates by  constantly  presenting  the  essential  facts  of 
religion,  by  the  example  of  successful  methods,  and 
by  familiarizing  the  individual  with  the  methods  un- 
der which  the  church  at  large  is  operated.  It  informs 
by  presenting  from  week  to  week  developments  of  the 
Christian  propaganda  in  America  and  abroad.  It  uni- 
fies by  the  very  simple  means  of  bringing  people  of 
many  types  in  many  environments  to  an  understand- 
ing of  or  an  interest  in  a common  undertaking.  No 
local  federation  can  succeed  in  the  fullest  measure 
which  neglects  to  furnish  information  of  the  larger 
work  of  the  church  or  which  does  not  believe  its  con- 


i64  the  manual  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


stituency  would  be  made  more  efficient  by  a knowl- 
edge of  the  world’s  tasks  through  the  reading  of  the 
religious  press.  The  Federation  should  do  everything 
within  its  power  to  interest  the  churches  and  their 
members  in  their  denominational  and  general  relig- 
ious newspapers. 

10.  Great  care  should  be  taken  to  select  the  right 
kind  of  general  printed  matter  to  be  sent  out  by  the 
Moderation.  It  should  be  high  grade  in  every  particu- 
lar. Literature  may  be  employed  especially  in  a long 
time  educational  campaign.  Literature  is  valuable  be- 
cause it  sticks  to  the  point.  It  never  gets  side-tracked 
in  an  argument.  It  never  loses  its  temper.  It  will  be 
read  by  people  who  are  prone  to  scoff  at  religion  and 
frequently  it  will  tell  the  story  far  better  than  we  can 
tell  it  because  it  was  probably  written  by  a specialist. 
Furthermore,  it  never  gets  rattled.  It  has  other  obvi- 
ous points  of  advantage  worth  considering.  Carefully 
written  literature  on  various  questions  dealing  with 
the  church  and  concerning  which  there  is  a vast  amount 
of  misinformation  in  the  minds  of  the  people  will  be 
productive  of  great  good,  as,  for  example,  the  terms 
of  admission  to  the  church,  the  constituency  of  the 
church,  the  form  of  government  of  the  church,  the  doc- 
trines of  the  church,  and  similar  questions.  This 
material  may  be  sent  out  to  the  people  through  the 
mails  or  in  such  other  ways  as  may  seem  best. 

11.  It  is  worth  while  occasionally  to  get  out  a 
high-grade  booklet.  Such  a booklet  costs  very  little 
more  than  a cheaply  printed  one.  In  the  first  place, 
the  postage  and  the  addressing  cost  as  much  for  the 
poorly  printed  booklet.  The  cuts  used  cost  as  much. 
A high-grade  booklet  may  cost  twice  as  much  as  a 


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165 


poorly  printed  one  but  it  will  be  worth  many  times 
more. 

12.  Post-cards  may  be  used  in  an  advertising  prop- 
aganda. A series  of  pictures  of  the  different  aspects  of 
the  work  of  the  Federation  and  its  constituent  bodies 
which  convey  a definite  idea  of  what  is  being  done  may 
be  printed  upon  cards  and  mailed  regularly  to  the 
people  of  the  community,  but  these  photographs  or 
other  illustrative  matter  should  be  high-grade  or  they 
will  be  worse  than  useless. 

13.  Calendars  with  live  material  printed  upon  them 
have  advertising  value.  They  will  be  kept  in  the 
homes  during  the  entire  year.  It  will,  therefore,  pay 
to  spend  considerable  time  in  getting  out  the  best  kind 
of  a product. 

14.  Notices  placed  in  an  attractive  frame  and 
changed  frequently  enough  to  keep  them  up  to  date 
should  be  hung  in  hotels  and  boarding-houses.  Some 
hotels  will  permit  churches  to  place  notices  of  church 
services  upon  their  desks,  or  in  letter  boxes  of  the 
guests,  and  sometimes  they  will  permit  them  to  be 
slipped  under  the  doors  of  the  guests’  rooms  on  Sun- 
day morning.  In  order  to  be  fair  to  all  near-by 
churches  in  the  hotel  district,  the  Federation  might 
work  out  a united  appeal  or  announcement. 

15.  Combinations  of  the  stereopticon  and  the  mo- 
tion picture  may  be  used  to  give  publicity  to  the 
church,  this  method  being  employed  in  the  streets  of 
crowded  down-town  sections.  Motion  picture  men 
will  often  cooperate  by  permitting  churches  to  adver- 
tise their  services  on  the  screen.  They  will  more 
readily  advertise  nonsectarian  religion  or  announce- 
ments regarding  union  meetings  or  church  plans. 

16.  The  electric  sign  locates  a building  impressive- 


i66  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


ly  and  speaks  out  startlingly  a strong  message,  and  can 
be  appropriated  by  the  church  in  a dignified  and  valu- 
able way.  A steeple-placed  electric  cross,  a near-by 
corner  with  a lighted  direction-pointing  sign,  an  elec- 
tric-lettered invitation  or  church-naming  sign  may  all 
be  used. 

17.  A “Go  to  Church”  campaign  naturally  lends  it- 
self to  unlimited  publicity  plans.  The  churches  should 
frequently  engage  in  some  form  of  special  appeal  to 
create  in  men  a desire  to  go  to  church.  The  “Go  to 
Church”  campaign  is  one  of  the  best  of  these  appeals. 

18.  A union  advertising  campaign  engaged  in  by 
the  Federation,  if  properly  conducted,  may  have  as 
much  value  as  the  ordinary  evangelistic  campaign.  If 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  presented  through  bulle- 
tin-boards, literature,  newspaper  advertising,  posters, 
and  other  methods  which  may  be  suggested  by  adver- 
tising experts,  it  is  sure  to  make  a decided  impression 
upon  the  entire  community.  If  at  the  same  time  the 
right  kind  of  church  services  are  conducted  by  the 
local  ministers,  large  numbers  of  outsiders  will  be 
won  to  Christianity  and  to  the  church. 

19.  Handbills  and  dodgers  have  a questionable 
value  and  should  be  used  only  in  cases  of  great  emer- 
gency. They  litter  up  the  front  steps,  the  letter-boxes, 
the  street,  and  ordinarily  they  are  so  poorly  printed 
that  people  do  not  pay  much  attention  to  them.  Ad- 
vertising novelties  should  rarely  be  used  for  church 
advertising  purposes.  It  is  much  better  to  adhere  to 
standardized  methods,  studying  them  thoroughly,  ap- 
plying them  scientifically,  and  pushing  them  with 
vigor. 

20.  Advertising  conferences  for  ministers  and  lay- 
men should  be  conducted  by  the  Federation.  Such 


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167 


conferences  will  bring  out  the  value  of  advertising, 
and  the  principles  of  advertising  may  be  discussed  by 
experts  who  have  had  wide  experience.  They  should 
not  be  led  exclusively  by  professional  advertising  men 
but  also  by  pastors  of  large  experience  in  advertising 
methods.  It  is  true  that  the  ordinary  pastor  does  not 
know  the  scientific  principles  of  advertising,  but  he 
does  know  some  things  which  the  professional  adver- 
tising man  can  never  know,  and  he  must  be  the  final 
judge  as  to  whether  or  not  a particular  method  is  to 
be  employed.  And  yet  advertising  experts  may  make 
a valuable  contribution  toward  such  a conference.  It 
is  gratifying  that  experts  of  the  finest  ability  are 
eagerly  awaiting  opportunities  to  teach  the  church 
how  to  advertise.  Care  should  be  taken  in  such  con- 
ferences not  to  be  misled  by  the  exploitation  of  meth- 
ods of  work  which  may  have  been  successful  in  some 
communities  but  which  are  not  at  all  practicable  for 
others.  Chief  consideration  should  be  given  to  the 
fundamental  principles  of  advertising  which  are  ap- 
plicable to  every  field. 

21.  Whether  proposed  advertising  be  for  the  benefit 
of  a particular  congregation  or  by  a central  agency  for 
the  good  of  all  the  churches  in  a city,  a publicity  com- 
mittee can  well  be  charged  with  the  responsibility  for 
initiating  the  copy.  This  committee  may  be  composed, 
in  the  local  church,  of  the  pastor,  or  his  assistant,  and 
two  or  three  advertising  or  newspaper  men  who  are 
members  of  the  congregation.  If  advertising  for  a 
city  is  contemplated,  the  employment  of  an  advertising 
agency  may  be  wise,  but  care  should  be  taken  to  select 
men  to  handle  the  copy  who  have  Christianity  in- 
grained in  them.  If  pastors  write  their  own  advertise- 
ments, they  can  usually  make  them  more  forceful  by 


i68  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


consulting  with  some  one  who  has  long  studied  the 
peculiar  psychology  of  moving  crowds  by  printed 
words. 


VII 


REPORT  OF  SUB-COMMISSION  ON  A 
DEPARTMENT  OF  INTERNATIONAL 
JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE 
AND  GOODWILL 

Gulick,  Rev.  Sidney  L.,  Chairman  New  York  City- 

Secretary,  Commission  on  International  Justice  and 
Goodwill,  Federal  Council  of  Churches 

Allen,  Mrs.  John  S.  'New  York  City 

Corresponding  Secretary,  Women’s  Board  of  Domestic 
Missions,  Reformed  Church  in  America 

Andrews,  Mrs.  Fannie  Fern  Boston,  Mass. 

Secretary,  American  School  Peace  League 

Boole,  Mrs.  Ella  A.  Brookl3m,  N.  Y. 

National  Vice-president-at-large,  Woman’s  Christian 
Temperance  Union 

Brooks,  Miss  Louise  New  York  City 

Secretary,  National  Board  of  Young  Women’s  Chris- 
tian Associations 

Brown,  Rev.  Charles  R.  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Dean,  School  of  Religion,  Yale  University 

Delk,  Rev.  Edwin  Heyl  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pastor,  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 

Faunce,  Pres.  W.  H.  P.  Providence,  R.  I. 

President,  Brown  University 

Laflamme,  Rev.  H.  F.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  New  York  and  New  Jersey  Division,  Lay- 
men’s Missionary  Movement 

Lawrence,  The  Rt.  Rev.  William  Boston,  Mass. 

Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Massachusetts 

Lynch,  Rev.  Frederick  , New  York  City 

Secretary,  Church  Peace  Union 

Merrill,  Rev.  William  P.  New  York  City 

Pastor,  Brick  Presbyterian  Church 

169 


170  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


Montgomery,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

President,  Women’s  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society 

Myers,  Harry  S.  New  York  City 

Secretary,  Missionary  Education  Movement 

Vance,  Rev.  James  I.  _ Nashville,  Tenn. 

Pastor,  First  Preshyterian  Church 

Wilson,  Bishop  Luther  B.  New  York  City 

Resident  Bishop  of  the  New  York  Area,  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church 


The  Fundamental  Purpose 

The  purpose  of  this  Sub-commission  is  to  promote 
the  establishment  of  a Christian  world  order.  Every 
church  should  share  in  this  task.  This  commission  ac- 
cordingly seeks  to  aid  the  churches  of  every  com- 
munion in  finding  the  most  effective  methods  for 
doing  their  work  in  this  respect.  It  is  a task  to  which 
the  local  church,  or  even  an  entire  communion,  work- 
ing alone,  can  make  but  little  contribution.  Only  the 
cooperation  of  tens  of  thousands  of  churches  of  all 
communions,  and  of  millions  of  intelligent  Christians 
will  be  able  to  Christianize  America’s  international  re- 
lations and  thus  do  their  part  in  the  great  world  enter- 
prise. 

The  Abhiing  Task  of  the  Church 

This  Sub-commission  recognizes  the  importance  of 
the  work  of  the  other  commissions.  Evangelization  of 
Individuals,  of  communities,  of  the  nation,  and  of  for- 
eign peoples,  is  the  unique  and  abiding  task  of  the 
church.  The  reconciling  of  sinful  children  to  their 
Heavenly  Father  through  Jesus  Christ  and  the  trans- 
mission to,  them  of  newriess  a,nd  fullness  of  life — this 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  171 


is  the  supreme  work  of  the  church.  Whatever  else 
the  church  may  or  may  not  do,  this  is  essential.  Fail- 
ure here  is  fatal  everywhere.  This  part  of  the  pro- 
gram of  the  church  is  the  special  subject-matter  for 
the  Sub-commissions  on  Christian  Education  and  on 
Evangelism. 

Relation  to  the  Sub-commission  on  Social  Service 

But  thoroughgoing  evangelization  includes  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  kingdom  of  God — that  social  order 
whose  members  love  to  do  his  will  fully,  here  on  earth 
as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  Right  relations  must  be  set 
up  between  men  in  society.  Not  only  must  personal 
vice  be  cast  out  but  vicious  conditions  must  be  cor- 
rected. Justice  must  be  secured  for  the  weak,  the 
helpless,  and  the  down-trodden.  Wholesome  homes, 
adequate  laws  dealing  with  the  problems  of  intemper- 
ance, and  hygienic  conditions  of  labor  must  be  pro- 
vided and  proper  hours  of  work  and  proper  wages. 
This  is  the  subject-matter  dealt  with  by  the  Sub-com- 
mission on  Social  Service. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  is  Supra-national 

But  just  as  evangelism  must  reach  out  to  all  the 
world,  so  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  Christian  social 
order,  includes  all  the  world.  It  transcends,  recon- 
ciles, and  unites  all  nations  and  all  races.  God’s 
kingdom  requires  universal  right  relations.  Truth 
and  honesty,  righteousness  and  square  dealing,  honor 
and  goodwill  must  be  established  and  observed  be- 
tween nations  no  less  than  between  individuals  and 
between  classes  in  a single  nation.  Too  long  have 


172  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


these  relations  been  thought  to  be  outside  the  range  of 
Christian  responsibility.  We  have  learned  with  sud- 
den dismay  our  failures  of  the  past.  The  tragedy  of 
so-called  Christian  Europe  discloses  the  frightful  con- 
sequences of  national  selfishness  and  disregard  of 
moral  laws  in  international  relations. 

So  long  as  these  relations  are  unchristian,  so  long 
as  bare  national  might  is  accepted  by  any  large  and 
powerful  nation  as  the  proper  ground  for  national 
right,  so  long  as  any  nation  and  race  is  taught  and  be- 
lieves that  it  may  rightly  regard  its  own  selfish  inter- 
ests and  ambitions  as  the  sole  guides  of  action,  so  long 
will  military  preparations  and  establishments  grow 
from  more  to  more  among  all  the  nations.  But  with 
the  growth  of  vast  military  establishments  among  all 
the  powerful  nations  effective  evangelism  will  become 
increasingly  difficult,  whether  local,  national,  or  for- 
eign. The  Christian  program  for  individual  and  for 
social  salvation  cannot  be  carried  to  real  and  perma- 
nent success  until  the  kingdom  of  God  is  firmly  estab- 
lished in  international  and  interracial  relations. 

The  New  Task  of  American  Churches 

The  new  task,  accordingly,  of  American  churches 
is  to  Christianize  America’s  international  relations. 
Easy  it  is  for  a nation  to  see  the  motes  in  the  eyes  of 
other  nations  and  to  ignore  utterly  the  beam  in  its 
own  eye.  It  is  easy  but  it  is  dangerous. 

Relations  between  America  and  Japan  should  be 
set  right.  Our  treaties  with  China  should  no  longer 
be  ignored.  Our  pledges  to  protect  aliens  should  be 
kept.  Suitable  legislation  to  make  this  possible  should 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  173 


be  passed.  Mexican  suspicion  should  be  overcome. 
The  full  confidence  of  South  Americans  should  be 
won.  Comprehensive  immigration  legislation,  free 
from  race  discrimination,  should  be  enacted.  Ade- 
quate relief  and  reconstruction  funds  should  be  raised 
for  the  sufferers  from  the  World  War.  America  should 
take  her  part  in  setting  up  adequate  world  organiza- 
tion for  the  establishment  of  durable  peace,  based  upon 
justice.  There  are  ways  of  doing  all  these  things  and 
they  are  Christian  ways.  They  should  be  known  to 
all  American  Christians,  who  should  cooperate  effec- 
tively for  their  attainment. 

America  now  has  unique  opportunity  and  respon- 
sibility for  bringing  in  the  new  world  order.  The 
American  government  and  all  its  people  should  be  as 
active  in  promoting  world  organization  and  interna- 
tional goodwill  as  they  are  in  providing  for  national 
safety  and  prosperity. 

Fundamental  Principles  of  a Christian 
World  Order 

Permanent  world  peace  can  come  only  as  the  fruit 
and  product  of  international  goodwill  and  sense  of 
brotherhood  expressing  itself  in  righteousness.  Peace 
is  the  outcome  of  justice,  justice  is  secured  through 
law,  law  depends  upon  organization.  The  political  or- 
ganization of  the  world,  therefore,  is  an  essential  step 
toward  durable  peace.  Nations,  as  individuals,  should 
Recognize  the  rights  of  others. 

Render  justice  rather  than  demand  rights,  and 
Find  their  greatness  in  goodwill  and  service. 


174  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


The  estabiishment  of  this  Christian  world  order 
requires : 

(1)  The  abandonment  of  pagan  nationalism,  with 
its  distorted  patriotism,  its  secret  diplomacy,  its 
double  morality,  its  demoralizing  spy  system,  and  its 
frank  and  brutal  assertion  of  selfishness,  of  unlimited 
sovereignty,  and  of  the  right  to  override  and  destroy 
weak  neighbors;  and 

(2)  The  adoption  of  a Christian  nationalism,  a 
Christian  patriotism,  and  a Christian  internationalism, 
which  assert  the  familyhood  of  nations,  the  limitation 
of  local  and  of  national  sovereignty,  and  the  right  of 
all  nations  and  races,  small  and  great,  to  share  in  the 
world’s  resources  and  in  opportunity  for  self-direct- 
ing development  and  expanding  life.  The  establish- 
ment of  the  new  world  order  implies  the  substitution 
of  economic  cooperation  in  the  place  of  competition 
between  nations. 

The  churches  of  America  should  now  vigorously 
promote  nation-wide  education  in  Christian  interna- 
tionalism, unparalleled  international  benevolence, 
right  legislation  dealing  with  interracial  relations,  and 
suitable  international  organization. 

Conditions  of  Achievement 

This  great  task — Christianizing  international  rela- 
tions— can  be  achieved  only  as  the  expression  of  moral 
character  of  a high  order.  It  must  set  up  and  guide 
the  political  machinery  of  the  nations  through  intelli- 
gent understanding  of  world  problems  and  also  of  the 
way  to  solve  them.  This  achievement,  however,  is  possi- 
ble only  as  millions  of  men  and  women  of  faith  and 
prayer,  in  tens  of  thousands  of  churches,  unite  for  nation- 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  175 


wide  education  and  for  collective  action.  Emotionalism, 
however  idealistic,  that  is  not  directed  by  practical  intel- 
ligence, persistent  patience,  and  readiness  to  take  one  step 
at  a time,  will  avail  little  or  nothing.  Not  by  guerrilla 
warfare  but  only  by  the  largest  and  sanest  continuing 
Christian  strategy,  can  the  war  upon  war  be  won. 

There  are  enormous  latent  forces  in  our  land  and 
especially  in  our  churches,  demanding  international 
justice  and  goodwill.  The  problem  is,  how  to  mass 
and  harness  this  power  so  as  to  make  it  effective  for 
action.  It  must  be  put  into  action  and  at  the  same 
time  directed.  It  must  be  geared  up  to  our  political 
machinery  in  ways  that  will  make  the  Christian  ideals 
and  convictions  effective  in  directing  America’s  inter- 
national policies.  This  must,  however,  be  done  in 
ways  that  conform  to  the  principle  that  the  churches 
as  ecclesiastical  bodies  should  not  enter  into  politics. 
Christian  citizens  should  nevertheless  be  able  to  act 
collectively  and  simultaneously  as  Christian  citizens. 

Necessity  for  a Distinct  Commission 

The  task  is  perfectly  distinct  and  enormously  vast. 
A separate  commission  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ  in  America  has  been  needed  for  the 
work.  Neither  the  Commission  on  Christian  Educa- 
tion, nor  that  on  Social  Service,  nor  the  Committee  on 
Foreign  Missions,  with  their  distinctive  problems  and 
pressing  duties,  could  possibly  give  the  steady  atten- 
tion and  the  strong  accentuation  that  are  essential  if 
a Christian  world  order  is  really  to  be  set  up. 

The  local  churches,  also,  must  grapple  energetical- 


176  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


ly  with  these  problems  and  cooperate  earnestly  in  the 
program,  if  results  are  to  be  secured.  Not  only  should 
every  Federation  of  Churches  have  its  own  Depart- 
ment of  International  Justice  and  Goodwill,  but  also 
each  local  church  should  have  its  own  committee  and 
make  its  own  contribution. 

No  local  church  and  no  Federation  of  Churches  can 
be  regarded  as  working  for  the  full  program  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  that  does  not  provide  for  suitable 
cooperation  with  Christians  in  other  churches  and 
denominations  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  task. 

The  success,  moreover,  of  every  other  part  of  the 
Christian  program  is  most  intimately  connected  with 
the  success  of  this  part.  No  church  that  has  mission- 
aries in  Japan  or  China  should  feel  that  it  is  doing  its 
full  share  in  Christianizing  those  lands  if  it  fails  to 
cooperate  in  establishing  Christian  political  relations 
with  them. 

How  Church  Federations  May  Cooperate 
IN  THE  Program  for  a Christian 
World  Order 

Each  Church  Federation  should  establish  an  appro- 
priate department  composed  of  suitable  persons  and 
undertake  as  an  integral  and  essential  part  of  its  regu- 
lar work  an  active  campaign  for  enlisting  all  Chris- 
tian citizens  in  the  community  in  intelligent  and 
effective  cooperation  for  the  establishment  of  Chris- 
tian internationalism.  Suggestions  for  the  formation 
and  work  of  this  department  fall  into  three  groups: 
the  committee  itself,  the  forms  of  its  activities,  and  the 
content  of  the  message  which  this  committee  is  to  de- 
liver to  the  churches. 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL 


I.  The  Department  of  International  Friendship  of 
THE  Federation  of  Churches 

I.  The  Membership  of  the  Department 

Suggestions : 

(a)  There  should  be,  so  far  as  practicable,  at  least 
one  representative  from  each  denomination. 

(b)  The  members  should  be  men  and  women  who 
believe  in  constructive  policies,  both  educational  and 
practical. 

(c)  The  members  should  be  outstanding  and  influ- 
ential laymen,  women,  and  a few  pastors  who  know 
how  to  work  and  how  to  do  team-work. 

(d)  The  Executive  Secretary  of  the  Federation  of 
Churches  should  doubtless  be  a member,  ex-officio,  of 
the  Department  of  International  Friendship,  but  prob- 
ably should  not  be  its  chairman  or  secretary. 

Remarks : 

(a)  The  Federation  of  Churches  as  a rule  includes 
only  the  evangelical  churches  of  a community  and 
sometimes  not  all  of  them.  This  task  of  Christian- 
izing international  relations,  however,  is  one  that  does 
not  depend  on  matters  of  doctrine  or  on  theories  of 
ecclesiastical  order  or  legitimacy.  It  is  a task,  there- 
fore, in  which  all  denominations  and  communions  can 
and  should  unite.  It  accordingly  follows  that  the  Fed- 
eration, in  setting  up  its  committee,  should  at  the  out- 
set approach  those  bodies  that  are  not  constituent 
members  of  the  Federation,  tell  them  of  the  plans  and 
invite  their  cooperation  by  appointment  of  suitable 
persons  for  membership  in  the  Federation  Department. 
Such  members  might  be  either  associate,  regular  or 
co-opted,  as  convenience  and  efficiency  may  direct. 


178  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


(b)  The  relation  of  the  American  Branch  of  the 
World  Alliance  for  Promoting  International  Friend- 
ship through  the  Churches  to  the  Commission  on 
International  Justice  and  Goodwill  of  the  Federal 
Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America  throws 
important  light  on  this  subject.  The  former  body 
has  come  into  existence  in  order  that  the  great  task 
of  Christianizing  international  relations  may  be  more 
effectively  and  promptly  accomplished  by  bringing 
into  the  fullest  cooperation  all  the  Christian  forces, 
regardless  of  the  questions  of  doctrine  or  ecclesiasti- 
cism.  The  Federal  Council  is  composed  of  thirty  con- 
stituent bodies;  the  American  Branch  of  the  World 
Alliance  seeks  to  unite  all  denominations.  At  present 
forty-one  are  cooperating.  The  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  World  Alliance  includes  all  the  members  of  the 
Federal  Council  Commission  on  International  Justice 
and  Goodwill,  with  others.  Its  Executive  Committee 
is  also  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Commission. 
Thus  the  activities  of  the  World  Alliance,  so  far  as 
they  come  within  the  constituent  bodies  of  the  Fed- 
eral Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America, 
are  the  activities  of  its  Commission  on  International 
Justice  and  Goodwill,  while  so  far  as  they  fall  among 
other  bodies,  are  exclusively  the  work  of  the  World 
Alliance. 

(c)  Emphasis  should  be  laid  on  the  importance  of 
securing  on  committees  and  especially  as  class  leaders 
men  and  women  who  are  primarily  interested  in  con- 
structive principles.  The  American  Branch  of  the 
World  Alliance  and  the  Federal  Council  Commission 
on  International  Justice  and  Goodwill  stand  for  those 
great  positive  policies  and  principles  which  will  secure 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  179 

international  justice  through  world  organization.  They 
urge  nation-wide  education,  domestic  legislation,  and 
international  organization,  productive  of  justice, 
brotherhood,  and  goodwill.  Upon  these  policies  all 
good  citizens  can  unite.  Only  those  persons  should  be 
class  leaders  and  members  of  committees,  who  avoid 
fruitless  discussions  of  abstract  theories  as  to  the 
pros  and  cons  of  non-resistance,  or  of  the  use  of  force. 
We  need  to  concentrate  discussion  and  efforts  on  con- 
structive proposals  and  programs. 

2.  Organization  and  Preparation  of  the  Department 

(a)  The  meetings  should  not  be  many. 

(b)  The  committee  should  study  the  World  Alli- 
ance literature  and  understand  its  proposals  and  pro- 
gram. 

(c)  The  committee  should  know  accurately  what 
the  churches  of  the  city  are  doing  in  the  education  of 
their  membership  in  Christian  internationalism. 

(d)  It  should  consider  methods  of  approach  to 
those  which  are  doing  nothing,  and  also  how  it  can 
best  aid  those  which  are  at  work. 

(e)  Suitable  subcommittees  on  visitation  should 
be  appointed. 

(f)  The  committee  should  have  an  executive  sec- 
retary, perhaps  some  young  man  or  woman,  who 
could  give  some  time  and  thought  to  its  work.  He 
should  investigate  conditions  (cf.  (c)  above),  keep 
records,  guide  the  subcommittees  on  visitation,  and 
coordinate  the  interchurch  activities  of  International 
Friendship  Committees. 


I 


i8o  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


II.  The  Work  of  the  Federation  Department  on 
International  Friendship 

I.  Literature  Needed 

The  Federation  Department  should,  first  of  all,  se- 
cure from  the  World  Alliance  (105  East  22d  Street, 
New  York  City)  all  the  literature  dealing  with  the 
formation  and  work  of  community  and  local  church  , 
committees  on  International  Friendship. 

This  literature  should  be  studied  by  the  members  : 
of  the  committee,  separately,  and  then  together,  with 
a view  to  the  general  program  proposed  and  to  its  ap-  . 
plicability  to  their  own  community.  It  is  to  be  re-  ’ 
membered  that  the  proposals  of  the  World  Alliance  : 
are  not  mandatory  but  suggestive.  There  are  no  hard 
and  fast  rules.  The  forms  of  activity,  the  programs,  ! 
and  the  study  courses  are  to  be  adapted  by  each  com-  ; 
mittee  to  the  conditions  and  needs  of  its  own  locality.  \ 

Suggestions : 

(a)  Probably  the  first  step  would  be  to  present  i 
the  matter  to  the  regular  ministers’  meeting,  in  order  i 
to  secure  their  understanding  of  the  proposals  and  i 
program,  and  their  enthusiastic  endorsement  of  the  \ 
general  plan. 

(b)  The  subcommittees  on  visitation  should  then  \ 
arrange  to  present  the  proposals  to  the  pastor  and  i 
officers  of  each  local  church. 

2.  A Committee  or  Department  on  International  Friend-  I 
ship  in  Each  Local  Church 

The  object  is  twofold,  first,  the  education  of  all  ! 
Christian  citizens  in  each  local  church  in  the  princi-  \ 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  i8i 


pies  of  Christian  internationalism,  and,  second,  such 
organization  of  this  educated  citizenship  as  to  make 
possible,  when  the  time  comes  for  nation-wide,  collec- 
tive action,  their  effective  cooperation  with  Christians 
throughout  the  country. 

In  order  to  secure  both  these  ends  it  is  believed 
that  each  local  church  should  have  its  own  Committee 
on  International  Friendship.  A real  difficulty,  how- 
ever, is  encountered  at  this  point.  The  tasks  of  the 
church  are  many  and  important,  and  for  each  of  them 
committees  and  systematic  education  is  called  for. 
The  danger  is  lest  one  or  two  good  causes  absorb  the 
attention  and  interest  of  the  church  to  the  complete 
neglect  of  other  causes  no  less  important.  The  already 
established  causes  are  naturally  more  or  less  jealous 
of  new  causes  and  resent  their  efforts  to  secure  time, 
attention,  or  funds  for  fear  the  old  causes  suffer. 
Moreover,  there  is  proper  solicitude  lest  the  multipli- 
. cation  of  societies  and  committees  distract  attention 
and  divide  the  membership  into  competing  groups. 

To  meet  these  difficulties  the  following  suggestion 
( is  offered.  Let  the  Church  Federation  and  also  the 
I local  church  establish  one  general  Committee  on  Edu- 
► cational  Courses,  with  subcommittees,  such  as  those 
I on  Home  Missions,  Foreign  Missions,  Social  Service, 
Temperance,  International  Friendship,  etc.  Each  de- 
partment might  be  allowed  from  three  to  six  weeks 
each  winter  for  its  series  of  meetings  and  classes. 
Thus  the  entire  church-membership  would  receive  the 
needful  education  in  the  full  program  of  the  church 
militant  and  all  the  members  be  prepared  to  do  their 
share  in  each  great  task. 

In  churches  where  committees  or  groups  already 
exist,  these  should,  of  course,  be  recognized  and 


i82  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


brought  into  the  general  plan.  In  some  places  it 
might  seem  wise  to  entrust  to  the  Committee  on  For- 
eign Missions  or  Social  Service  the  duty  of  promoting 
education  on  International  Friendship.  Should  this, 
however,  result  in  side-tracking  either  interest,  real 
efficiency  will  have  been  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  sim- 
plified machinery.  The  important  thing  is  that  each 
church  should  provide  for  the  proper  education  of  all 
its  members  in  the  full  program  of  the  church  v 
universal. 

But  whichever  of  the  above  methods  may  be 
adopted,  those  in  the  local  churches  who  are  responsi- 
ble  for  the  courses  dealing  with  international  friend-  | 
ship  should  be  regarded  as  the  church  committee  on  i 
that  matter  and  be  so  recorded  in  the  New  York  office  ; 
of  the  World  Alliance  for  Promoting  International  - 
Friendship  through  the  Churches.  Only  in  this  way 
can  the  nation-wide,  collective,  and  simultaneous  ; 
action  of  millions  of  Christian  citizens  be  secured  when 
needed. 

When  the  Church  Federation  has  decided  which  1 
of  the  above  methods  is  best  for  its  own  field,  the  • 
next  problem  will  be  to  secure  the  active  cooperation  ’ 
of  the  local  churches. 

Provision  should  also  be  made  for  “follow-up” 
work  till  each  local  church  actually  establishes  its  com- 
mittee or  department. 

3.  A Community  Normal  Class  on  Christian  Inter- 
nationalism 

Suggestions : 

(a)  Secure  a competent  leader  who  is  an  experi- 
enced teacher. 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  183 


(b)  The  object  of  the  normal  class  is  not  to  give 
lectures  on  internationalism  in  general  but  to  train 
teachers  in  Christian  internationalism  and  in  methods 
of  instruction  and  organization,  who  can  conduct  the 
work  in  the  individual  churches. 

(c)  The  leader  should  be  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  World  Alliance  literature  and  its  program. 

(d)  Each  church  committee  should  have  at  least 
two  of  its  members  attend  the  normal  class. 

(e)  The  normal  class  course  should  be  limited  to 
six  or  eight  weeks  at  most  and  should  have  a regular 
enrolment  fee  of  from  $i  to  $2  to  provide  for  text- 
books and  other  necessary  expenses. 

4.  Popular  Education  in  Christian  Internationalism 

In  addition  to  the  community  normal  class,  ar- 
rangements should  be  made  from  time  to  time  by  the 
Federation  Department  for  education  of  the  commu- 
nity by  means  of  popular  gatherings  of  various  kinds. 

(a)  Lecture  courses  might  well  be  provided  for  in 
the  forums,  Chautauquas,  and  lyceums.  Special  lec- 
tures might  also  be  secured  in  the  churches  by  speak- 
ers of  national  repute. 

(b)  A pageant  at  some  time  during  the  year 
would  be  highly  interesting  to  the  young  people  and 
also  profitable  for  the  general  public.  Care  should, 
however,  be  taken  that  the  pageant  selected  should  be 
really  educative  and  not  merely  spectacular  and  senti- 
mental. Many  pageants  fail  to  show  that  peace  comes 
through  attainment  of  justice.  Every  pageant  should 
in  some  way  make  justice,  arbitration,  world  organi- 
zation, and  a world  court  essential  foundations  for 
the  peace  that  is  finally  established. 


i84  the  manual  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


(c)  Photo-plays  should  be  secured,  calculated  to 
promote  understanding  of  the  problem  of  world  peace 
through  world  organization.  Few  photo-plays  as  yet 
present  the  essentials  of  the  peacemakers’  program. 

(d)  Debates  between  high  schools,  church  groups, 
or  different  sections  of  the  city  could  be  made  at  once 
interesting,  stimulating,  and  highly  educational. 


5.  An  Intensive  Community  Campaign 

At  some  time  during  the  autumn  or  winter  con- 
duct a two-day  campaign  consisting  of  four  or  five 
meetings.  The  general  topic  might  be,  “The  New 
Task  of  the  Church.” 

Suggestions : 

(a)  Cooperation  of  all  the  denominations  and 
churches 

(b)  Local  speakers,  as  far  as  possible 

(c)  One  or  two  speakers  of  national  repute 

(d)  A splendid  chorus  of  young  people 

(e)  A pageant 

(f)  Suitable  literature  for  sale 

(g)  Decorations  of  all  national  flags  with  the 
Christian  flag  the  unifying  center  of  all 

(h)  Lectures  on  the  League  of  Nations,  the  Ade- 
quate Protection  of  Aliens,  Comprehensive  Immigra- 
tion Legislation  Free  from  Race  Discrimination,  and 
the  Oriental  Problem  and  Its  Solution. 

6.  A Representative  on  State  or  City  Photo-Play  Boards 
of  Censors 

All  photo-plays  arousing  race  prejudice  or  inter- 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  185 


national  hostility  should  be  condemned  by  state  and 
city  boards  of  censors.  This  is  as  important  as  con- 
demnation of  photo-plays  that  are  sexually  immoral. 
Federations  of  Churches  constitute  the  only  suitable 
and  effective  body  of  Christians  for  securing  the  adop- 
tion of  right  standards  in  these  matters.  The  Feder- 
ation should  have  one  or  more  representatives  on  such 
boards  of  censors. 

7.  A Member  to  Specialize  on  Publicity 

Some  suitable  member  of  the  Federation  Depart- 
ment should  get  acquainted  with  the  editors  of  the 
local  papers,  should  provide  “news”  of  the  right  kind 
as  to  local  and  national  activities,  and  secure  publica- 
tion of  discussions  and  reports  of  addresses  and  lec- 
tures of  value  to  the  entire  community.  The  report  of 
the  Sub-commission  on  Church  Publicity  should  be 
mastered  by  him.  When  the  papers  publish  material 
that  stirs  up  national  selfishness  or  race  prejudice, 
counteracting  influence  should  be  set  in  motion. 

III.  The  Content  of  the  Message  of  the  Federation 
Department 

The  content  of  the  message  to  be  imparted  by  the 
Federation  Department  to  the  churches  and  the  com- 
munity falls  into  two  sections: 

(1)  That  dealing  with  the  principles  and  ideals  of 
Christian  internationalism,  with  their  applications  to 
the  concrete  national  and  international  situation,  and 

(2)  That  dealing  with  the  practical  methods  of 
education  and  organization  for  securing  results. 


i86  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


I.  Principles  and  Ideals  of  Christian  Internationalism 

The  fundamental  conception  of  Christian  inter- 
nationalism is  that  of  brotherhood  expressing  itself  in 
justice.  This  ideal  must  be  applied  to  the  varied  con- 
crete situations  that  confront  us.  International  good- 
will must  find  expression  in  unceasing  and  insistent 
efforts  to  secure: 

(1)  Justice  for  immigrants. 

(a)  With  reference  to  laws  affecting  their  status 
and  opportunities. 

(b)  With  reference  to  their  treatment  by  our  peo- 
ple and  by  employers. 

(2)  Justice  for  aliens  as  industrial  workers — their 
economic  place  in  our  social  and  industrial  order. 

This  topic  encroaches  on  the  realm  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Social  Service.  Here  the  general  facts,  ideals, 
and  principles  may  be  studied ; there  the  more  minute 
details  and  the  legal  and  social  remedies. 

(3)  Justice  for  foreign  nations  as  nations. 

(a)  Making  treaties  that  conserve  the  interests  of 
others  no  less  than  our  own. 

(b)  Faithful  observance  of  treaty  obligations,  in 
their  spirit  no  less  than  in  their  letter. 

(c)  Providing  for  new  international  agreements 
making  practicable  world  organization  and  a league  of 
nations. 

(d)  Progressive  adjustment  of  economic  legisla- 
tion providing  for  international  economic  cooperation 
to  take  the  place  of  mutually  destructive  economic 
rivalry. 

(4)  Helpfulness  beyond  bare  justice. 

In  times  of  special  distress  by  famine,  flood,  fire. 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  187 


earthquake,  plague,  or  war,  nations  should  enter  on 
vast  enterprises  of  generous  benevolence. 

Remarks : 

The  study  of  all  these  suggested  themes  might 
easily  become  pedantic,  abstract,  and  unprofitable. 
Those  who  select  the  courses  of  study  should  secure 
text-beoks  and  teachers  suited  to  their  particular 
classes.  As  a rule  the  courses  should  be  short,  from 
four  to  eight  weeks,  and  the  text-books  simple  and 
concrete.  As  courses  are  continuously  improved  from 
year  to  year,  those  contemplating  the  study  of  Chris- 
tian Internationalism  should  secure  from  headquarters 
(105  East  22d  Street,  New  York  City)  the  latest  infor- 
mation as  to  the  courses  available. 

2.  Practical  Methods  for  Securing  Results 

(a)  Educational 

Each  member  of  the  normal  class  should  be  taught 
not  only  the  content  of  the  ideals  and  principles 
of  world  organization  and  the  needed  domestic 
legislation,  but  also  how  to  impart  his  knowledge  to 
others  and  how  to  get  groups  in  his  own  church  to 
study  these  questions  effectively. 

(b)  Collective  Action 

Collective  action  should  take  two  forms — that  of 
the  community  in  expressing  goodwill  to  aliens  in 
its  midst,  and  that  of  Congress  enacting  laws  for 
the  protection  and  uplift  of  all  aliens.  The  normal 
class  leader  should  show  how  these  two  forms  of  ac- 
tivity may  be  instituted.  For  the  latter,  millions  of 
citizens  must  be  so  united  as  to  make  possible  their 
collective  action.  This  is  the  second  important  duty 
of  federation  and  of  church  committees  on  Interna- 


i88  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


tional  Friendship.  When  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand 
committees  are  formed  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and 
millions  of  Christian  citizens  are  ready  at  a given 
time  to  write  to  the  representatives  in  Congress  in  re- 
gard to  moral  issues  involved  in  international  affairs, 
the  pressure  of  their  moral  ideals  and  convictions  can 
be  brought  to  bear  effectively  upon  Congress. 

Suggestions  for  Communities  which  Lack 
Church  Federations 

The  foregoing  program  is  not,  of  course,  practica- 
ble for  communities  where  no  Church  Federation 
exists  or  where  the  number  of  churches  is  quite  small. 
In  such  communities  the  procedure  would  have  to  be 
modified  in  important  respects. 

The  initial  steps  would  probably  have  to  be  taken 
by  some  single  pastor  or  experienced  layman.  An 
International  Friendship  Committee  should  be  started 
in  an  individual  church  without  waiting  for  others  to 
cooperate,  and  under  its  guidance  a short  study  course 
should  be  undertaken  in  some  one  of  the  groups.  An 
individual  church  is  not  dependent  on,  and  need  not 
wait  for,  community  action. 

A committee  that  has  already  started  successful 
work  in  its  own  church  might  well  approach  its  neigh- 
bors, tell  what  is  happening  locally,  nationally,  and 
internationally,  and  invite  them  to  enter  into  the 
movement. 

When  two  or  three  churches  have  established  their 
committees,  they  might  well  arrange  for  cooperation 
unitedly,  inviting  other  churches  to  share  in  the  great 
work.  This  would  in  fact  become  the  Community 
Committee  on  International  Friendship.  With  the 


INTERNATIONAL  JUSTICE  AND  GOODWILL  189 


establishment  of  this,  larger  plans  could  then  be  en- 
tered upon. 

At  every  stage  common  sense  should  be  exercised. 
Only  so  much  of  the  program  given  above  should  be 
undertaken  as  seems  adapted  to  the  situation. 

Conclusion 

The  embodiment  in  international  relations  of  the 
spirit  and  the  teachings  of  Jesus  is  the  great  new  task 
of  the  church  of  Christ.  All  experience  shows  that 
his  principles  and  spirit  are  complete  and  effective 
whenever  and  wherever  they  have  been  honestly  tried. 
There  is  no  home  like  the  Christian  home,  no  city  like 
a Christian  city,  no  business  like  a Christian  busi- 
ness, no  country  like  a Christian  nation.  For  in  them 
brotherly  love,  mutual  forbearance,  patience,  help- 
fulness, sobriety,  purity,  honesty,  and  sincerity  char- 
acterize all  the  relations  of  man  with  man. 

Experience  also  shows  that  unless  we  carry  these 
principles  through  and  up  to  the  very  highest  and 
widest  relations  of  human  life,  up  to  the  conduct  of 
nations  and  races,  we  cannot  carry  them  completely 
through  anywhere  in  the  narrower  circles  of  life. 
Christians  are  also  loyal  citizens,  and  however  sincere 
and  thoroughgoing  in  their  personal  life  they  may  be, 
they  perforce  share  in  the  wrong-doing  of  their  people 
in  its  relation  to  other  nations  when  that  relation  is 
wrong  and  brings  conflict.  We  must  embody  Chris- 
tian principles  in  the  relations  of  nations  or  we  shall 
not  be  able  to  realize  it  completely  in  the  lives  of 
individuals. 

The  tragedy  of  Europe,  spreading  to  the  entire 
world,  discloses  the  inefficiency  and  bankruptcy  of  a 


iQO  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


national  diplomacy  that  is  guided  by  egotism  and 
selfishness  and  that  bases  its  primary  reliance  on  mili- 
tary and  naval  force.  These  inevitably  violate  the 
principles  of  international  justice  and  fair  play,  dis- 
regard the  needs  and  outrage  the  feelings  of  neigh- 
bors, and  create  those  suspicions,  fears,  and  enmities 
which  necessarily  lead  to  rivalry  in  armaments  and 
finally  end  in  war.  Commercial  and  financial  interests 
uncontrolled  by  Christian  principles,  moreover,  are 
not  sufficiently  unselfish  and  powerful  to  secure  world 
justice,  the  necessary  condition  for  world  peace.  No 
political  system,  old  or  new,  that  is  not  Christian, 
can  save  the  world  from  the  great  conflict  of  the  races 
already  looming  up  before  us.  A non-Christian  civi- 
lization is  foredoomed  to  destruction,  more  certain  and 
dreadful  as  it  advances  in  the  mastery  of  nature’s 
titanic  forces. 

The  world  is  weary  of  war,  shocked  and  appalled 
by  its  horrors,  disgusted  at  its  prodigal  waste  of  life 
and  property,  and  aghast  at  the  frightful  consequences 
to  follow  for  decades.  It  most  earnestly  desires  a 
world  where  these  things  shall  be  no  more.  There  is, 
however,  only  one  kind  of  a world  where  that  can  be. 
It  is  a Christian  world — a world  in  which  classes  and 
nations  and  races  shall  learn  of  Christ,  shall  look  upon 
each  other  as  brethren,  shall  be  just  and  sincere  and 
honest  and  truthful  and  helpful  in  their  mutual  rela- 
tions, and  shall  insist  that  these  principles  be  followed 
by  those  who  are  placed  in  posts  of  official  respon- 
sibility and  national  power. 

The  attainment  in  practise  of  this  ideal  of  a Chris- 
tian world  depends,  however,  upon  the  vision,  conse- 
cration, and  determination  of  the  Christian  church — 
primarily  of  the  pastors  and  through  them  of  millions 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  191 


of  Christian  laymen.  Forty  million  professed  Chris- 
tians in  America  can  make  America’s  international 
relations  Christian,  if  they  will.  This  can  be  accom- 
plished only  by  the  cordial  cooperation  of  individuals, 
churches,  and  denominations  in  city,  state,  and 
national  federations.  If  the  Christians  of  America 
will  make  America’s  international  relations  thoroughly 
Christian,  a great  step  forward  will  have  been  taken 
toward  making  all  international  relations  Christian. 

Had  the  Christians  of  the  world,  during  the  past 
thirty  years,  devoted  to  the  study  and  solution  of 
international  problems,  by  the  application  of  Chris- 
tian principles,  one  per  cent,  of  the  time  and  energy, 
thought  and  money,  loyalty,  consecration,  and  sacrifice 
which  they  are  now  devoting  to  the  prosecution  of  the 
war,  this  world  tragedy  would  not  have  come  upon  us. 
Have  Christians  learned  the  lesson? 

The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  international  no  less  than 
individual.  Jesus  is  the  Savior  and  the  sufficient 
Savior  from  sin,  whether  national  or  individual.  This 
international  salvation  can  come  only  as  millions  of 
individual  disciples  unite  their  hearts,  their  minds, 
and  their  wills  to  incarnate  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and  to 
make  it  supreme  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  inter- 
national and  national  as  well  as  individual. 

When  the  Christians  of  the  world  make  up  their 
minds  and  also  their  hearts  to  practise  the  principles 
and  to  live  by  the  spirit  given  us  by  Jesus,  the  proph- 
ecy of  Isaiah  will  come  to  pass,  for  the  nations  will 
then  walk  in  the  paths  of  the  Lord.  Then  will  come 
“the  day’’ — not  the  wrathful  day  of  judgment  and 
destruction,  but  the  joyful  day  of  disarmament  and 
prosperity  when  nations  “shall  beat  their  swords  into 
plowshares  and  their  spears  into  pruning  hooks.”  Not 


192  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


only  will  they  cease  to  fight,  learning  war  no  more, 
but  they  will  also  cease  to  fear  one  another.  For 
justice  will  prevail,  goodwill  will  flourish,  and  right- 
eousness will  be  established  throughout  the  earth. 


VIII 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMISSION  ON 
PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF 
ORGANIZATION 

SUB-COMMISSION  ON  PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS 
OF  ORGANIZATION 

Holton,  Rev.  Horace  F.,  Chairman  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Pastor,  First  Congregational  Church 

Ames,  Ret.  Clair  R Chicago,  111. 

Former  Executive  Secretary,  St.  Louis  Federation  of 
Churches 

Chamberlin,  Rev.  Roy  B.  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y. 

Pastor,  First  Presbyterian  Church 

Eldredge,  Hermon  Erie,  Pa. 

Executive  Secretary,  Erie  Men’s  Inter-Church  Federa- 
tion 

Fagley,  F.  L.  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Exwutive  Secretary,  Federation  of  Churches  of  Cincin- 
nati 

Mudge,  Rev.  William  L.  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

Pastor,  Falling  Springs  Presb3rterian  Church 

Root,  Ret.  R T.  Boston,  Mass. 

Secretary,  Massachusetts  State  Federation  of  Churches 

Talbott,  Rev.  E.  Guy  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Secretary,  California  State  Federation  of  Churches 

The  Need  and  Scope  of  this  Report 


I.  In  the  year  1883  appeared  that  prophetic  story. 
The  Christian  League  of  Connecticut,  by  the  Rev.  Wash- 
ington Gladden.  It  depicted  accurately  and  impres- 
sively the  conditions  and  needs  which  have  compelled 
the  movement  for  interchurch  federation,  both  those 
of  overlapping  and  those  of  overlooking.  The  cooper- 

193 


194  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


ation  required  to  overcome  them  was  anticipated  to  a 
surprising  degree.  It  is  only  in  the  line  of  organization 
that  the  experience  of  these  thirty-four  years  corrects 
his  bold  sketch.  For  example,  the  original  League 
was  composed  of  the  pastors  of  the  churches  and  lay- 
men from  each,  named  by  the  pastors  of  the  other 
churches ; no  votes  were  permitted,  and  committees  to 
carry  out  the  views  of  the  League  were  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  chairman,  only  with  unanimous  con- 
sent. Such  an  organization  would  work  only  in  a 
group  aroused  and  agreed  upon  the  tasks  to  be  done  to- 
gether. In  a story  it  was  easy  to  represent  the  differ- 
ences and  difficulties  as  readily  overcome,  and  the  re- 
sults as  so  great  that  the  plan  quickly  spread  over  the 
state  and  the  nation.  But  it  is  precisely  at  this  point 
that  the  ideal  has  proved  difficult  to  realize.  Now,  the 
failures  and  successes  of  a generation  give  data  for  the 
formulation  of  the  basic  principles  of  organization. 
Such  formulation  is  the  first  task  of  this  Sub-com- 
mission. 

2.  The  problem  is  complicated  by  the  existence  of 
numerous  religious  and  philanthropic  organizations. 
As  each  social  need  has  arisen,  it  has  been  apparent 
that  it  could  be  met  only  by  united  action,  and  Chris- 
tians have  formed  an  organization  independent  of  the 
churches  in  order  to  meet  on  neutral  ground.  Because 
the  churches  were  not  prepared  to  cooperate  wholesale, 
their  members  have  been  compelled  to  cooperate  piece- 
meal. But  the  advantage  and  the  need  of  church  sup- 
port is  increasingly  leading  these  organizations  to  seek 
recognition  by  the  churches.  Some  are  thus  approxi- 
mating to  church  federations  for  special  ends,  e.g.,  one 
claims  to  be  the  Church  against  the  Saloon.  The  rela- 
tions of  these  organizations  to  each  other  and  to  the 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  195 

churches  must  be  defined  and  adjusted.  This  consti- 
tutes the  second  element  in  the  task  before  us. 

3.  While  practical  methods  of  organization,  finance, 
and  work  must  be  developed  by  each  federation  for  it- 
self, and  may  be  safely  left  to  experience  to  determine, 
provided  that  the  basic  principle  and  purpose  be  firm- 
ly grasped,  yet  even  here  the  Sub-commission  may 
save  every  one  time  and  expense  by  putting  into  con- 
cise and  definite  form  the  lessons  of  the  best  experi- 
ence. 

These  three  purposes  determine  the  scope  of  this 
report. 

I.  The  Basic  Principle  of  Interchurch  Federation 

By  a federation  of  churches  is  meant  the  churches 
themselves  as  churches,  consulting  and  cooperating  offi- 
cially, through  accredited  delegates,  for  all  accepted  com- 
mon tasks. 

Corollaries 

1.  No  association  of  individuals,  or  of  organizations 
of  individuals,  or  of  church  departments,  or  of  repre- 
sentative church-members  not  accredited,  constitutes 
a federation  of  churches. 

2.  The  word  “church”  is  used  in  many  senses.  Ec- 
clesiastically it  may  mean  a local  congregation,  or  the 
whole  of  a communion.  Polities  differ;  some  making 
the  congregation,  some,  the  whole  communion  the 
source  of  ecclesiastical  authority.  But  all  recognize 
that  such  authority,  either  original  or  derived,  and  to 
some  degree,  is  vested  in  both  local  and  national  bod- 
ies and  in  the  judicatories  between  them.  Hence  there 
is  no  practical  difficulty.  A federation  of  churches 


196  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


may  be  formed  alike  in  a community,  a state,  or  the  na- 
tion, in  each  case  consisting  of  representatives  of  the 
churches  in  the  corresponding  sense. 

3.  The  churches,  independent  and  differing  in  pol- 
ity, ritual,  and  creeds,  cannot  recognize  in  the  organi- 
zation, or  in  the  combined  membership  of  a federation, 
any  superior  ecclesiastical  authority.  Membership  in- 
volves only  the  maximum  cooperation  which  the  prin- 
ciples, polity,  and  policy  of  each  communion  permit. 

4.  The  only  force  possible  in  a federation,  and  the 
only  force  necessary  to  secure  practical  results,  is 
“that  force  which  comes  from  frequent  discussion  and 
consequent  united  opinion.” 

5.  A church  federation  is  not  another  outside 
organization,  but  a clearing-house  of  the  churches 
themselves,  where  they  consult  together  and  then 
work  in  .cooperation  on  common  tasks. 

6.  A church  federation  is  not  a machine  to  be  kept 
running,  but  one  always  ready  for  use.  It  does  not 
need  to  find  something  to  do  to  justify  its  existence, 
but  existing,  it  may  do  anything. 

7.  Interchurch  federation  is,  therefore,  the  only 
remedy  for  our  obvious  over-organization,  affording 
the  simplest  and  most  economical  machinery  to  ac- 
complish our  common  Christian  aims.  It  renders  fur- 
ther multiplication  of  organizations  unnecessary;  it 
makes  possible  the  elimination  of  some  now  existing. 
It  stands  for  Christian  conservation  and  cooperation. 

8.  Specific  tasks  may  furnish  the  occasion  for  the 
organization  of  a federation  of  churches,  but  they  do 
not  constitute  its  limit,  end,  or  significance.  That  sig- 
nificance lies  in  the  fact  that  a federation  of  churches 
reveals  and  makes  effective  the  unity  of  the  churches 
as  the  great  church  of  Christ,  so  far  as  such  unity  is 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  197 


possible  under  our  present  denominational  organiza- 
tion. 

9.  In  proportion  to  its  efficiency,  a church  federa- 
tion restores  to  the  church  its  true  place  and  function 
as  the  center  and  inspirer  of  society. 

II.  The  Principle  Applied  in  Organization 

1.  The  principles  set  forth  above  have  been  well 
applied  in  a national  way,  in  the  organization  and  the 
wonderful  development  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ  in  America.  But  if  the  Federal 
Council  is  to  go  on  doing  effective  work,  it  must  be 
supplemented  by  the  organization  of  state,  county,  and 
city  federations.  It  is  the  promotion  of  these  organi- 
zations which  is  the  special  object  of  this  Congress. 

2.  Inasmuch  as  the  same  basic  principles  of  or- 
ganization can  be  made  to  apply  to  all  three  of  these 
divisions,  with  such  modifications  as  the  local  situation 
may  demand,  this  report  will  not  go  into  the  detail  of 
each  organization.  It  will  rather  give  the  broad  outline 
of  an  organization  suited  to  all  three,  state,  county, 
or  city.^ 


^“But  there  is  evidently  a marked  difference  between  a 
State  and  a City  or  Township  Federation,  both  in  its  relation  to 
the  churches  and  its  work.  In  both  respects  it  more  closely 
resembles  the  national  organization  than  the  local  ones.  It  is 
a smaller  Federal  Council  rather  than  a larger  Church 
Federation.  It  consists  of  delegates  from  the  denominational 
conferences  or  conventions.  Its  work  is  that  of  comity,  read- 
justments, study  and  information,  and  inspiration  in  all  matters 
demanding  common  action,  influence  on  legislation,  and  includes 
the  functions  of  local  federations  only  as  it  organizes,  fosters, 
and  acts  as  a clearing-house  for  their  interchange  of  experi- 
ence.” 


198  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


A.  The  Name 

1.  At  present  there  is  a great  variety.  In  a pam- 
phlet published  a few  years  ago  by  the  Commission  on 
State  and  Local  Federations,  we  find  the  following: 

“League”  occurs  twice,  “Union”  twice,  “Associa- 
tion” once,  “Commission”  three  times,  “Council”  sev- 
enteen times,  and  “Federation”  one  hundred  and  one 
times,  while  seven  times  the  simple  word  “Churches” 
is  used  preceded  by  a qualifying  adjective  such  as 

“Federated,”  as  “The  Federated  Churches  of .” 

The  following  adjectives  and  nouns  used  as  adjectives, 
are  employed:  “comity,”  “social  service,”  “general,” 
“Protestant,”  “united,”  “provisional  state,”  “civic  and 
cooperative”  once  each ; “Christian”  three  times ; the 
qualifying  phrase  “of  churches  and  Christian  work- 
ers” three  times;  and  “religious  organizations”  three 
times ; “of  churches”  is  used  fifty-two  times ; “church,” 
qualifying  some  other  noun,  is  used  twenty-two  times ; 
“interchurch”  occurs  thirty-eight  times ; “interdenomi- 
national” four  times;  and  “federated”  ten  times.  The 
adjective  and  noun  of  most  frequent  occurrence,  there- 
fore, are  “Interchurch”  and  “Federation.” 

2.  A greater  uniformity  would  certainly  make  for 
unity  and  efficiency  in  the  federation  movement.  The 
Model  Constitutions  of  Cities,  Counties,  and  States 
published  by  the  Federal  Council  of  the  Churches  of 
Christ  in  America,  are  worded,  “Federation  of 
Churches.”  This  nomenclature  would  seem  to  be  the 
most  advisable,  or  what  is  practically  the  same,  only 
with  the  order  of  words  somewhat  altered.  The  Church 
Federation  of  a City  or  County  or  State. 

3.  It  will  probably  be  inadvisable  at  the  present 
time  to  advocate  the  changing  of  the  names  of  the 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  199 


church  federations  already  established,  as  that  would 
tend  to  confusion  in  the  minds  of  the  local  supporters 
of  the  movement.  This  commission  would  therefore 
recommend  that  federations  already  established  re- 
tain their  present  nomenclature.  But  in  the  case  of 
federations  that  are  organized  in  the  future,  we  recom- 
mend that  they  adopt  a common  name,  which  will 
tend  to  uniformity.  We  suggest  that  to  this  end  the 
Congress  adopt  the  term.  The  Federation  of  Churches 
of (state,  county,  or  city). 

B.  Preliminary  Steps 

1.  Since  the  movement  represented  by  interchurch 
federation  is  a comparatively  new  one,  and  is  still 
practically  unknown  to  the  great  mass  of  church- 
members,  it  will  be  well  to  have  a campaign  of  educa- 
tion before  anything  is  attempted.  The  pastors  should 
come  together  and  discuss  the  proposition  to  federate, 
and  their  leading  men  should  be  informed  as  thor- 
oughly as  possible  of  the  aims  and  possibilities  of  the 
organization.  In  this  way  a real  demand  will  be  cre- 
ated. Where  possible,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the 
Commission,  or  where  there  is  a state  organization, the 
State  Secretary  should  be  secured  to  tell  what  other 
communities  are  accomplishing  in  federated  work.  If 
this  is  not  feasible,  some  layman  or  pastor  from  a 
neighboring  church  federation  may  be  secured  to 
address  a public  meeting  or  an  informal  conference. 
The  more  carefully  this  preliminary  work  of  education 
is  conducted  the  better  prospect  will  the  new  organi- 
zation have  for  success. 

2.  With  the  demand  created  and  the  general  princi- 
ples understood,  it  will  then  be  possible  to  proceed  to 


200  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


the  actual  work  of  organization.  Three  meetings  are 
customary  for  the  work. 

3.  The  first  of  these  is  the  Preliminary  Conference 
at  which  the  needs  of  the  community  and  churches 
and  the  purpose  and  the  plan  of  organization  are  thor- 
oughly discussed.  A committee  is  appointed  to  draw 
up  a constitution  to  be  reported  at  the  next  meeting. 

4.  The  second  meeting  is  known  as  the  Organizing 
Conference.  At  this  it  is  well  to  have  present,  as  far 
as  possible,  persons  from  all  the  denominations  or  con- 
gregations which  it  is  proposed  to  federate.  The  call 
should  mention  the  number  of  persons  to  represent 
each  denomination  or  congregation.  These  should  set- 
tle upon  the  constitution  which  they  wish  to  have 
adopted.  Those  who  meet  in  response  to  this  call 
should  not  hesitate  to  proceed  with  the  organization 
because  all  invited  may  not  have  responded. 

5.  It  is  the  business  of  this  Organizing  Conference 
to  send  for  adoption  to  the  various  congregations,  con- 
ferences, conventions,  synods,  or  other  church  meet- 
ings, the  constitution  which  has  been  formed.  This 
Conference  should  also  ask  the  same  to  elect  official 
delegates  to  the  next  meeting  which  is  to  complete  the 
organization  of  the  Federation. 

; i I 

C.  The  Structure  of  the  Organization 

I.  The  Basis  of  Representation. 

At  this  stage  in  the  federation  movement  it  will  be 
well  not  to  be  too  dogmatic.  Generally  speaking  the 
following  method  will  prove  best : 

(a)  In  state  federations  the  basis  of  representation 
must  be  that  of  the  denomination. 

(b)  In  county  and  metropolitan  districts,  where 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  201 


there  are  larg^e  groups  of  churches,  the  denominational 
basis  will  be  most  effective.  But  it  will  sometimes  be 
possible  to  make  the  local  church  the  unit  of  represen- 
tation. 

(c)  In  the  average  local  federation  the  basis  of 
representation  should  be  the  local  church.  But  in  some 
cases  the  denominational  basis  will  be  adopted. 

(d)  The  activity  and  usefulness  of  women  in 
church  life  and  community  service  will  naturally  raise 
the  question  as  to  their  representation  in  local  federa- 
tions. From  the  fact  that  both  men  and  women  make 
up  the  membership  of  the  churches,  it  is  quite  clear 
that  a federation  should  not  be  exclusively  made  up 
of  either.  It  will  be  wise  to  divide  the  representa- 
tion of  the  individual  church  in  the  Council  between 
the  two. 

Laymen  and  laywomen  should  be  chosen  as 
officers  and  appointed  to  serve  on  committees  when- 
ever possible,  so  that  federations  may  have  a perma- 
nence which  the  changing  of  ministers  would  impair, 
and  the  men  and  women  themselves  may  have  their 
talents  developed  in  the  larger  spheres  of  Christian 
activity. 

2.  Details  of  Organization. 

(a)  It  has  been  found  that  the  most  effective  or- 
ganization of  a federation  of  churches  proceeds  along 
the  following  general  lines. 

(b)  The  Council.  The  accredited  delegates  from 
these  bodies  constitute  the  Council  of  the  Federation, 
which  is  its  deliberative  body,  electing  its  officers  and 
determining  its  programs  and  policies.  This  Council 
should  be  more  than  a mere  formal  body,  meeting  at 
infrequent  intervals  and  taking  but  little  interest  in  its 
work.  It  should  be  composed  of  the  strongest  and 


202  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


wisest  men  and  women  of  the  churches,  who  are  really 
representative  of  the  bodies  from  which  they  come. 
Failure  to  guard  this  point,  or  neglect  of  the  Council, 
will  spell  defeat  for  the  organization. 

(c)  The  Executive  Committee.  As  it  is  manifestly 
impossible  for  a large  number  of  people  such  as  con- 
stitutes the  Council  to  give  careful  attention  to  the 
details  of  the  work,  it  is  necessary  for  the  Council  to 
appoint  an  Executive  Committee,  to  which  may  be 
entrusted  the  active  direction  of  the  Federation.  The 
Executive  Committee  should  be  representative  of  all 
denominations  and  districts,  so  that  its  actions  may 
have  the  support  of  all.  While  representative  in  char- 
acter, care  should  be  taken  to  have  it  composed  of 
people  who  can  get  things  done,  and  who  are  willing 
and  ready  to  work.  This  committee  is  no  place  for 
figureheads,  however  ornamental  they  may  be. 

The  committee  should  hold  regular  meetings,  at 
least  as  often  as  once  a month,  and  should  be  kept 
closely  in  touch  with  all  the  departments  of  its  work. 

(d)  The  Executive  Secretary.  He  should  be  an 
employed  officer,  giving  his  entire  time  to  the  Federa- 
tion, cultivating  the  unity  of  the  churches,  and  carry- 
ing out  the  program  and  policies  of  the  Council,  work- 
ing through  the  Executive  Committee.  He  should 
have  an  office,  or  at  least  some  headquarters,  where 
the  Federation  can  be  localized.  Such  office  assistance 
as  is  needful  should  be  supplied.  In  some  places,  of 
course,  where  the  work  is  undeveloped,  or  where  it 
will  not  probably  take  all  of  a man’s  time,  arrange- 
ments may  be  made  to  employ  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Secre- 
tary, or  one  of  the  ministers,  for  part-time  service. 

The  personality  of  the  Executive  Secretary  will 
have  much  to  do  with  the  success  of  the  organization. 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  203 


He  must  be  a man  who,  with  fine  tact  and  intense  en- 
thusiasm, in  a truly  Christian  spirit,  will  be  able  to  in- 
spire Christian  men  and  women  of  all  creeds  with  a 
passion  for  unity  in  service.  He  must  be  a man  who 
will  be  a welcome  visitor  in  any  pulpit  of  the  city  or 
state,  not  because  he  is  an  orator,  but  because  he  has  a 
practical  message  on  Christian  cooperation.  He  must 
above  all  things  else  have  good  executive  ability. 

(e)  Dividing  the  work  under  departments.  It  is 
now  generally  recognized  that  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee can  do  its  work  best  by  dividing  it  up  under  the 
heads  of  different  departments.  Experience  has  shown 
that  there  are  seven  of  these  departments  which  are 
generally  found  to  be  useful  in  every  federation : 

The  Department  of  Comity 
The  Department  of  Community  Evangelism 
The  Department  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions 
The  Department  of  International  Justice  and 
Goodwill 

The  Department  of  Religious  Education 
The  Department  of  Social  Service 
The  Department  of  Publicity 
While  all  of  these  departments  may  be  found  in  a 
well-established  federation,  it  may  be  necessary  at  the 
start  to  establish  only  one  or  two  of  them,  as  the  local 
needs  may  dictate,  letting  the  others  wait  until  the 
need  for  them  appears  or  the  opportunity  for  their  cre- 
ation develops. 

In  the  Cincinnati  Federation  of  Churches  the  work 
is  grouped  under  two  departments,  namely:  (i)  Re- 
ligious Work;  (2)  Community  Service.  These 
departments  in  turn  are  divided  into  subcommittees. 
The  director  of  each  department  and  the  chairman  of 
subcommittees  form  a cabinet,  which  meets  monthly 


204  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


to  bring  the  work  of  the  committees  into  closest  coop- 
eration. Each  committee  chairman  is  permitted  to 
secure  such  a committee  as  he  needs  to  carry  through 
his  program.  The  president  of  the  Federation,  the 
secretary,  and  the  directors  of  the  two  departments 
form  a general  committee  of  directors.  This  commit- 
tee meets  as  a rule  once  a week. 

3.  Practical  Suggestions. 

(a)  Great  care  should  be  exercised  not  to  have  the 
organization  become  cumbersome.  There  should  be 
no  departments  established,  or  standing  committees 
appointed,  unless  there  is  some  definite  thing  to  be 
done.  Pastors  and  laymen  are  busy  and  will  soon  de- 
cline to  work  for  the  federation  if  they  feel  that  it  is 
multiplying  committee  meetings  unnecessarily.  In- 
terchurch federation  should  stand  in  every  community 
for  the  greatest  possible  efficiency.  Simplification  of  or- 
ganization and  elimination  of  useless  motion  should 
be  its  constant  aim. 

(b)  Heads  of  departments  and  chairmen  of  stand- 
ing committees  should  be  ex-officio  members  of  the 
Executive  Committee.  They  should  be  expected  to 
make  brief  reports  of  the  progress  of  their  work  at 
each  meeting  of  the  committee. 

(c)  It  will  sometimes  happen  that  the  work  of  a 
department,  such,  for  example,  as  that  of  Social  Ser- 
vice or  Community  Evangelism,  will  become  of  such 
importance  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  employ  a paid 
executive  officer  for  that  branch  of  the  service.  In  any 
case,  each  department  should  have  a budget,  approved 
by  the  Executive  Committee,  and  under  no  circum- 
stances should  it  be  allowed  to  exceed  its  appropria- 
tion without  the  consent  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

(d)  The  officers  and  committees  of  the  new 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  205 

church  federation  will  do  well  to  keep  in  mind  that, 
while  they  have  the  churches  or  communions  thus  or- 
ganized for  interchurch  work,  there  is  still  a great  deal 
of  work  to  be  done  to  develop  an  intelligent  and  united 
constituency  among  all  the  individual  church-members 
involved.  There  should  be  constant  reports  made  to 
the  churches.  Every  possible  means  of  education 
should  be  employed,  so  that  in  time  the  church 
federation  shall  be  in  fact,  what  at  the  start  it  is  in 
name,  the  united  churches  in  council  and  in  action. 
In  many  federations  this  end  is  being  accomplished 
through  the  publication,  at  intervals,  of  a federation 
paper,  which  has  a wide  circulation  among  all  the  co- 
operating churches. 

(e)  A practical,  definite  program  should  always  be 
formulated  by  every  church  federation  just  as  soon 
after  its  organization  as  possible.  From  year  to 
year  the  program  should  be  revised  and  extended,  as 
the  Federation  grows,  and  as  the  need  of  state,  county, 
or  city  becomes  evident.  It  should  be  the  consistent 
endeavor  of  all  the  leaders  of  the  movement  to  work 
unitedly  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  program.  It 
is  better  to  have  a small  program  and  carry  it  through 
than  to  be  continually  starting  out  after  new  achieve- 
ments and  never  getting  any  of  them  accomplished. 

The  development  of  the  Christian  forces  of  a com- 
munity will  reach  its  highest  level  when  the  Depart- 
ment of  Religious  Education,  in  cooperation  with  the 
other  departments  of  a federation,  has  worked  out  one 
comprehensive  plan  of  religious  education.  It  is  not 
possible  to  emphasize  too  strongly  the  need  of  keeping 
this  ideal  constantly  to  the  front.  Until  this  depart- 
ment can  be  properly  organized  it  may  be  necessary 
for  other  departments  to  have  some  educational  pro- 


2o6  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


gram,  but  this  should  be  regarded  as  only  a temporary 
expedient,  a step  toward  the  merging  of  all  such 
efforts  into  one.  This  is  especially  true  where  a fed- 
eration may  have  only  two  or  three  departments 
organized.  The  federation  which  goes  from  strength 
to  strength  will  be  the  one  that  early  in  its  history 
adequately  deals  with  this  task.  The  suggestions  in 
the  Report  of  the  Sub-commission  on  a Department  of 
Religious  Education  and  the  references  to  the  educa- 
tional problems  in  other  reports  are  based  on  present 
conditions  but  point  to  the  conditions  that  must  pre- 
vail. The  federation  of  churches  which  works  out  this 
problem  will  render  a service  of  incalculable  value. 

III.  Relation  to  Kindred  Religious  and  Philan- 
thropic Organizations 

I.  Interchurch  federation  should  never  enter 
the  field  as  the  competitor  of  other  kindred  religious 
and  philanthropic  organizations.  These  organizations 
have  come  into  being  to  meet  real  needs  and  may  be 
doing  splendid  work.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  inter- 
church federation  to  attempt  to  do  work  that  is  already 
being  efficiently  carried  on.  But,  at  the  same  time,  it 
should  be  clearly  understood  that  interchurch  federa- 
tion occupies  a different  place  from  any  of  these.  They 
are  independent  organizations  which  are  doing  work 
for  the  churches  and  looking  to  them  for  support. 
The  church  federation  is  the  churches  themselves 
organized  for  counsel  and  for  action.  There  are 
some  functions  which  it  can  perform  in  the  name 
of  the  churches  better  than  can  these  other  agencies. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  functions  that  these  other 
bodies  are  peculiarly  fitted  to  carry  on.  For  example, 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  20J- 


the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  at  the  present  time,  is  doing  a splen- 
did work  for  the  soldiers  and  sailors.  It  should  be  the 
plan  of  the  federations  of  churches  everywhere  to  give 
to  the  Association  whole-hearted  support  in  this  work, 
nor  should  they,  except  as  they  seek  to  secure  chap- 
lains for  the  army,  attempt  to  do  independent  Chris- 
tian work  in  the  camps  or  on  shipboard. 

2.  The  mutual  relationship  of  the  local  federation 
and  other  local  federative  agencies,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  national  and  international  cooperative  agencies, 
on  the  other,  call  for  careful  study  and  statement,  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  service  of  both  forms  of  agencies 
for  the  benefit  of  the  local  churches. 

In  the  community  where  the  local  federation  is  or 
may  yet  be  organized,  there  are  existing  interdenomi- 
national religious  agencies  of  long  standing  and  rec- 
ognized authority  and  influence.  To  such  the  local 
federation  may  not  sustain  a direct  official  relationship 
through  membership  in  its  council,  for  it  is  directly 
representative  of  the  churches  as  such.  It  may,  and 
generally  should  include  representatives  of  those  com- 
munity cooperative  agencies  in  the  departments  or 
standing  committees.  Such  a relationship  will  make 
easy  and  natural  the  eflFort  to  coordinate  plans  for  the 
highest  good  of  the  local  churches. 

The  principle  of  working  through  existing 
agencies,  without  seeking  to  exercise  or  without  claim- 
ing authority  to  control  them,  is  clearly  recognized  as 
essential  to  the  existence  and  highest  efficiency  of  the 
local  federation.  In  like  manner,  the  principle  that  the 
highest  welfare  of  the  local  churches  requires  consul- 
tation between  local  cooperative  agencies  and  the  local 
federation  should  be  recognized.  This  relationship  is 
based  on  mutuality  of  interest  and  goodwill. 


2o8  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


In  the  field  outside  the  community  also  are  co- 
operative agencies,  well  organized  and  established  in 
the  confidence  of  the  Christian  and  general  public. 
Some  are  national,  some  international  in  character. 
Some  are  interdenominational,  while  others  are  un- 
denominational in  their  form  of  organization.  In 
some  cases  the  organization  extends  from  the  national 
agency  down  to  the  local  churches,  through  state  or 
provincial,  county,  district,  township,  and  community 
units.  In  other  cases  no  organization  is  in  existence 
aside  from  the  national,  whose  purpose  is  to  promote 
certain  causes  or  movements  directly  in  contact  with 
the  local  churches,  or  through  existing  federative  or 
denominational  agencies.  A third  class  is  composed 
of  national  denominational  agencies  extending  their 
organization  and  service  to  the  local  churches  of  the 
community  through  state  or  other  district  agencies. 

The  matter  of  adjustment  of  working  relationships 
between  these  many  cooperative  agencies,  within  and 
without  the  community,  and  the  local  federation  is 
important,  for  it  would  manifestly  be  unwise  for  the 
local  federation  to  seek  to  control  or  hamper  such 
agencies  through  duplication  of  organization  and 
effort,  or  through  unwillingness  or  inability  to  join 
with  them  in  carrying  out  their  plans  in  the  com- 
munity. 

It  is  recognized  that  such  agencies  are  independent 
in  organization  of  each  other,  of  the  Federal  Council 
itself,  and  of  the  local  federation.  They  bear  the  same 
relationship  to  the  local  churches  of  a community  as 
obtains  in  the  case  of  the  local  federation, — that  is, 
advisory. 

It  will  be  seen  therefore  that  no  assumption  of  right 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  209 


can  satisfactorily  , serve  as  the  basis  of  coordination  of 
effort  between  such  agencies  and  the  local  federation. 
The  Federal  Council  recognizes  this  fact  in  its  forma- 
tion of  the  Commission  on  Interchurch  Federations  in 
whose  membership  are  found  workers  prominently 
identified  with  these  national  agencies,  serving  in  an 
unofficial  capacity.  Such  agencies  require  freedom  of 
expression  of  their  life  in  every  community.  It  would 
seem,  therefore,  that  the  local  federation  and  such 
agencies  should  seek,  by  frequent,  sympathetic,  and 
purposeful  consultation  of  their  leaders,  so  to  guide 
the  local  organization  of  the  federation,  and  these  other 
agencies  as  to  secure  unity  of  objective  and  thorough 
coordination  of  effort.  Here  again  mutuality  of  inter- 
ests is  recognized  as  the  basis  of  such  efforts  to  coordi- 
nate activities  for  the  benefit  of  the  local  churches. 

Such  cooperation  should  be  sought  by  the  local 
federation  and  the  other  cooperative  agencies,  both 
within  and  without  the  community,  each  approaching 
the  other  with  open  mind  and  determined  purpose  to 
develop  together  wise  plans  for  aiding  the  local 
churches  in  their  work,  and  for  developing  a powerful 
community  religious  consciousness.  If  the  local  fed- 
eration is  ready  with  effective  organization  to  join 
forces  with  such  a national  organization,  or  if  by  con- 
sultation an  efficient  organization  needs  to  be  brought 
into  existence  for  the  purpose,  it  is  recognized  as 
desirable  that  the  local  federation  should  assume  as 
large  responsibility  as  it  will,  in  carrying  out  plans  of 
the  national  agency  for  the  benefit  of  the  local 
churches  and  the  community.  If  the  local  federation 
finds  itself  unable  to  place  a satisfactory  organization 
at  the  disposal  of  the  national  agency,  for  a service 
which  the  national  agency  is  organized  to  meet,  and 


210  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


which  is  not  being  rendered  by  some  existing  local 
agency,  the  local  federation  should  welcome  whatever 
service  the  national  or  local  agency  can  give. 

3.  The  interchurch  federation  movement  must  in 
all  this  recognize  that  it  is  comparatively  a newcomer 
in  the  field  of  religious  and  social  activity,  while  many 
of  these  other  organizations  are  well  established, 
with  clearly  defined  programs.  Interchurch  federa- 
tion, then,  will  not  command  that  it  be  recognized  as 
the  agency  through  which  these  organizations  are  to 
work.  It  will  rather  offer  itself  in  the  interests  of 
efficiency  and  conservation.  Then  it  must  demonstrate 
its  claims.  It  will  remember  that  the  basis  of  coopera- 
tion here  lies,  not  in  organization,  but  in  mutual  under- 
standing and  sympathetic  counsel. 

4.  In  all  matters  involving  the  use  of  federation 
office  and  machinery  in  behalf  of  important  objects  of 
public  interest,  for  which  funds  are  sought,  such  as 
the  Red  Cross  and  the  Syrian  and  Armenian  Relief 
Commissions,  a wide  latitude  of  action  must  be  left  to 
the  local  organizations.  Conditions  differ  in  various 
localities  and  the  local  executives  are  the  best  judges 
of  the  wise  procedure.  In  general,  however,  it  seems 
a safe  policy  to  confine  the  activities  of  the  federation 
in  such  cases  to  cordial  approval,  leaving  the  specific 
promoters  of  the  given  enterprises  to  undertake  their 
financial  campaign  in  their  own  way.  This  would 
limit  the  financial  activities  of  the  federation  to  its 
essential  needs  and  the  support  of  causes  rightfully 
falling  to  the  care  of  united  Protestants  in  local  com- 
munities. 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  21 1 


IV.  Practical  Methods  and  Suggestions 
I A.  Finances 

I.  The  Principle  toward  Which  to  Work 

(a)  There  is  no  cause  that  can  be  made  more 
effectively  to  appeal  to  the  pocketbooks  of  consecra- 
ted Christian  business  men  than  this  cause,  which  in- 
volves Christian  conservation  and  cooperation.  But 
at  the  present  time  the  ideal  is  in  the  process  of  being 
established  in  the  minds  of  Christian  men  and  women. 
It  will,  therefore,  need  constant  and  careful  cultiva- 
tion. 

(b)  It  is  vitally  important  at  the  start  to  establish 
the  principle  of  support  and  the  grounds  for  appeal. 
In  answ'er  to  the  complaint  that  here  is  another 
“cause”  which  must  be  supported,  another  charity  to 
be  maintained,  let  it  be  said  that  his  complaint  indi- 
cates an  absolute  misapprehension  of  the  whole  ideal 
of  interchurch  federation.  It  is  not  another  “cause.” 
It  is  the  churches  themselves  united  for  counsel  and 
action.  It  is  in  the  interests  of  economy;  for  success- 
ful interchurch  federation  involves  the  elimination  and 
the  consolidation  of  many  of  the  organizations  that 
are  now  appealing  to  business  men  for  support.  It  is 
not  a “charity”  in  any  sense  of  the  word,  any  more 
than  the  maintaining  of  the  church  is  a charity.  The 
expenses  of  the  federation  stand  exactly  in  the  same 
relation  to  the  local  church  as  does  its  budget  for  run- 
ning expenses.  The  Executive  Secretary  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  the  associate  pastor  of  every  church  in  the 
community.  The  office  of  the  federation  is  the  church’s 
down-town  office.  Through  it  the  church  ministers  to 
its  citv-wide  parish.  The  ideal,  then,  is  to  have  each 


212  THE  MANUAL  OF  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


church  assume  its  just  proportion  of  the  federation 
budget,  and  pay  it  out  of  its  running  expense  account 
regularly,  just  as  it  pays  the  minister,  the  choir,  or  the 
janitor. 

(c)  At  the  present  time  it  must  be  frankly  recog- 
nized that  this  ideal  can  be  realized  only  in  a few  com- 
munities where  the  idea  of  interchurch  federation  has 
a strong  hold.  So  it  becomes  necessary  to  adopt  such 
methods  as  will  secure  adequate  financial  support. 

2.  Methods  Now  in  Operation 

(a)  Apportionment  among  the  different  commun- 
ions. In  state  federations  and  in  some  large  city  federa- 
tions, like  Pittsburgh,  the  financial  problem  has  been 
solved  by  having  the  budget  assumed  by  the  various 
cooperating  communions,  each  of  which  puts  up  its 
pro  rata  share.  Where  the  organization  is  an  organi- 
zation of  communions  this  is  a practical  and  an  easy 
way  of  solving  the  financial  plan.  However,  many 
church  federations  are  made  up  of  local  church  units 
rather  than  communions.  For  them  this  plan  will  not 
be  practicable. 

(b)  Funds  secured  from  individuals.  The  plan  of 
raising  the  budget  by  a canvass  of  individuals  who 
have  become  interested  in  the  movement  and  who 
will  support  it,  is  often  adopted  in  the  beginning.  In 
places  where  the  communions  do  not  underwrite  the 
federation,  and  where  the  local  units  are  not  yet  edu- 
cated to  the  ideal,  this  is  the  only  practical  way  to  ini- 
tiate the  work.  This  Sub-commission  believes  this 
should  be  regarded  as  only  a temporary  expedient. 

(c)  The  budget  apportioned  to  the  individual 
church  units.  There  are  two  methods  suggested  for 
this  plan.  One  is  to  make  a small  budget  covering  sim- 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  213 


ply  the  overhead  charges,  salaries  of  paid  officers,  office 
rent  and  expenses,  on  the  ground  that  these  are  the  ab- 
solute essentials  of  federated  organization,  and  appor- 
tion this  out  among  the  churches,  for  each  to  raise  in 
whatever  way  is  practicable.  Then  the  expenses  of 
the  various  departments  of  the  work  may  be  main- 
tained by  individuals  who  are  interested  in  each.  This 
plan  has  been  attempted,  without,  it  must  be  said,  com- 
plete success,  in  the  St.  Louis  Federation. 

The  other  method  suggested  is  to  apportion  the 
whole  budget  among  the  churches,  taking  care  to  see 
to  it  that  the  budget  decided  upon  by  the  council,  upon 
the  recommendation  of  the  finance  and  executive  com- 
mittees, shall  keep  within  amounts  reasonably  to  be 
counted  upon.  As  the  friends  of  federation  increase  in 
number  and  as  the  churches  are  educated  in  the  ideal, 
this  budget  may  be  steadily  increased  from  year  to 
year.  It  is  understood  that  any  apportionment  thus 
made  can  be  collected  only  with  the  fullest  consent  of 
the  church  for  which  it  is  made.  No  ecclesiastical 
authority  may  command  its  payment.  In  this  plan 
also  there  will,  of  course,  be  left  room  for  the  contri- 
bution of  individual  friends  without  any  church  con- 
nection. But  it  will  be  well  to  give  credit  always,  so 
far  as  possible,  to  the  churches  with  which  individual 
contributors  are  connected. 

(d)  To  the  Sub-commission  it  seems,  therefore, 
that  the  best  plans  for  financing  a federation  of 
churches  are  either  the  first  or  the  last  mentioned, 
namely:  through  the  cooperating  communion,  where 
that  is  possible,  or  by  apportionment,  among  the  dif- 
ferent church  units,  of  the  whole  budget  that  has  been 
determined  upon  by  the  council  for  any  given  year. 


214  the  manual  of  inter-church  work 


B.  Mistakes  in  Interchurch  Federation  to  be  Avoided 

Mistakes  have  been  made  in  the  organization  of 
federations  against  which  a word  of  warning  should 
be  given.  An  ounce  of  prevention  is  always  worth  a 
pound  of  cure,  but  in  no  direction  is  this  more  true 
than  in  federation  work.  Some  of  the  outstanding 
causes  of  failure  in  the  past  should  be  carefully  re- 
membered and  avoided,  and  they  are,  therefore,  men- 
tioned. 

(1)  Original  organization  by  outside  appeal  with- 
out local  responsibility  and  leadership. 

(2)  Imitation  of  an  ideal  organization,  with  num- 
erous committees,  successful  in  some  other  places,  but 
not  adapted  to  the  local  community. 

(3)  The  adoption  of  a plan  too  elaborate  and  of 
objects  too  numerous  for  the  numbers  and  resources 
available. 

(4)  An  effort  to  absorb  or  to  supplant  organiza- 
tions and  agencies  already  usefully  active. 

(5)  A too  heavy  budget  of  expenses,  involving 
the  salary  of  an  executive  secretary  or  other  paid  offi- 
cers before  the  federation  is  financed  to  support  them. 

(6)  The  attempt  to  get  along  without  any  needed 
executive  service.  This  is  as  fatal  a mistake  as  the  pre- 
ceding. Both  should  be  carefully  avoided. 

C.  The  Promotion  of  Federations 

I.  The  Commission  on  Interchurch  Federations  of 
the  Federal  Council  has  as  its  primary  function  the 
promotion  of  federations  of  churches,  state  and  local. 
The  Commission  gathers  literature  from  all  of  the  fed- 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  ORGANIZATION  215 


erations  and  in  every  way  acts  as  a clearing-house  in 
the  field  of  interchurch  cooperation.  The  Commis- 
sion, through  its  Chairman  and  Executive  Secretary, 
has  promoted  the  organization  of  federations  in  a num- 
ber of  cities  during  the  past  year,  especially  at  Duluth, 
St.  Paul,  Denver,  San  Francisco,  and  Tacoma. 

2.  The  primary  purpose  of  the  Pittsburgh  Con- 
gress is  the  promotion  of  federations  in  the  various 
cities  and  states  that  are  represented  in  the  member- 
ship of  the  Congress.  The  Congress  is  to  give  inspi- 
ration and  knowledge  of  the  methods  and  programs  of 
interchurch  activity  to  these  delegates.  They  in  turn 
will  return  to  their  various  cities  and  organize 
church  federations, — in  many  cases  without  the  direct 
help  of  the  Commission  on  Interchurch  Federations. 
The  executive  secretaries  or  other  officials  of  the  ex- 
isting federations  have  helped  promote  federations  in 
near-by  cities.  Cities  desiring  organized  federations 
should  secure,  if  possible,  some  representatives  from  a 
successful  city  federation  to  help  them  in  their  pre- 
liminary organization,  or  in  an  educational  campaign 
leading  up  to  organization. 

3.  It  should  also  be  the  function  of  the  State  Fed- 
eration to  promote  the  organization  of  county  and  city 
federations  within  its  own  state.  This  has  been  the 
case  in  Massachusetts  and  California,  the  two  states 
having  State  Federations  with  Executive  Secretaries. 
In  promoting  federations  it  is  of  primary  importance 
that  the  field  first  be  carefully  cultivated  until  condi- 
tions are  ripe  before  organization  is  attempted.  So  far 
as  possible  all  the  local  churches  should  be  in  har- 
mony. The  representatives  of  the  Commission  on  In- 
terchurch Federations  of  the  Federal  Council,  as  well 
as  other  Federal  Council  representatives,  are  ready  at 


2i6  the  manual  of  INTER-CHURCH  WORK 


any  time  to  help  promote  church  federations  in  cities, 
counties,  and  states. 

4.  There  is  no  organic  connection  between  the  local 
federations  and  the  Federal  Council,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  Federal  Council  itself  is  composed  of  affil- 
iated denominations.  However,  the  Federal  Council 
is  closely  related  to  the  local  federations  and  through 
the  Commission  on  Interchurch  Federations  this  rela- 
tion is  being  more  closely  cemented.  The  executive 
secretaries  of  the  local  federations  meet  at  the  time 
of  the  annual  and  quadrennial  meetings  of  the  Fed- 
eral Council  and  its  Executive  Committee  and  com- 
missions, and  are  accorded  the  privilege  of  the  floor  as 
corresponding  members  of  the  Council  and  its  Execu- 
tive Committee. 


APPENDIX 


A CONSTITUTION 
Introduction 

A federation  must  fit  its  environment.  Local  leaders  must 
discover  their  own  local  conditions,  needs,  limitations,  and  some 
of  the  possibilities.  Then  the  constitution  should  smply  phrase 
the  accepted  modes  and  methods  to  which  all  parties  agree,  as 
adapted  to  the  local  conditions.  While  suggestions  come  from 
without,  and  much  can  be  learned  from  plans  which  have  been 
tried  elsewhere,  yet  the  communities  must  be  thrown  upon  their 
own  initiative,  their  own  inventiveness,  and  their  own_  re- 
sponsibility. The  more  originality  that  can  be  awakened  in  a 
community  of  Christians,  the  more  vital  is  their  Christianity. 

The  relation  between  the  local,  county,  and  state  federations 
and  the  Federal  Council  is  of  a purely  voluntary  and  cooperative 
nature,  as  the  Federal  Council  consists  of  delegated  representa- 
tives appointed  by  the  national  denominational  or  church  bodies. 
In  the  interest  of  the  spirit  of  unity  and  effective  cooperation, 
it  is  deemed  appropriate  that  federations  should  give  expression 
to  their  appropriate  relation  to  the  Federal  Council  in  some  such 
way  as  follows: 

RELATION  TO  FEDERAL  COUNCIL 

The  Constitution  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the  Churches  of 
Christ  in  America,  organized  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  December, 
1008,  is  hereby  recognized,  subject  to  the  superior  authority  of 
the  respective  supervising  synods,  conferences,  conventions,  dio- 
ceses, associations,  and  other  superior  church  bodies,  as  the 
basis  of  this  Church  Federation  in  cooperation  with  the  said 
Federal  Council,  includine  the  following  principle  as  expressed 
in  the  Preamble  and  Plan  of  Federation  of  the  Federal  Council, 
to  wit: 

“In  the  providence  of  God,  the  time  has  come  more  fully 
to  manifest  the  essential  oneness  of  the  Christian  Churches  of 
America  in  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Divine  Lord  and  Savior,  and 
to  promote  the  spirit  of  fellowship,  service,  and  cooperation 
among  them.” 

PLAN  OF  FEDERATION 

“To  express  the  fellowship  and  catholic  unity  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church. 

“To  bring  the  Christian  bodies  of  America  into  united  service 
for  Christ  and  the  world. 

“To  encourage  devotional  fellowship  and  mutual  counsel 
concerning  the  spiritual  life  and  religious  activities  of  the 
churches. 

“To  secure  a larger  and  combined  influence  for  the  churches 
of  Christ  in  all  matters  affecting  the  moral  and  social  condition 
of  the  people,  so  as  to  promote  the  application  of  the  law  of 
Christ  to  every  relation  of  human  life. 


217 


2I8 


APPENDIX 


“To  assist  in  the  organization  of  local  federations  and  to 
promote  the  aims  of  the  Federal  Council  in  their  communities.” 

This  advisory  and  cooperative  relation  with  the  Federal 
Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America  shall  be  for  the 
purpose  of  effecting  cooperation,  and  annual  reports  shall  be 
sent  to  the  Federal  Council. 

This  Federation  may  also  be  associated  with  the  State  Fed- 
eration of  Churches,  if  one  exists. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  A LOCAL  OR  STATE 
FEDERATION 


Article  I 
Name 

The  name  of  this  organization  shall  be  the  “Church  Federa- 
tion of 

Article  II. 

Object 

The  object  of  this  Federation  shall  be  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare, comity,  and  cooperation  of  the  churches  and  to  foster  re- 
ligious movements  and  community  betterment. 

Article  III 

Membership 

Section  i.  This  Federation  shall  be  composed  of  those 

churches  (in  a state  federation,  denominations)  in  

that  shall,  by  vote,  agree  by  their  respective  authorized  methods, 
to  unite  with  this  organization. 

Section  2.  Any  natural  group  of  churches  in  the  Federation 
may,  by  action  of  the  Council,  be  constituted  a local  branch  of 
the  Federation  for  the  purpose  of  more  effective  neighborhood 
work,  but  they  shall  still  individually  be  members  of  the  Federa- 
tion. 

Section  3.  Any  church  in  the  Federation  unwilling  to  co- 
operate in  a movement  determined  upon  by  the  Council  shall  be 
excused  therefrom  upon  its  request  to  that  effect  in  writing, 
duly  presented  to  the  Council. 

Section  4.  Any  church  (or  denomination)  that  shall  vote 
operate  in  a movement  determined  upon  by  the  Council  shall  be 
Federation  shall  duly  certify  in  writing  such  action  to  the 
Council. 

Article  IV 
Council 

Section  i.  There  shall  be  a governing  body,  to  be  known 
as  the  “Council  of  the  Church  Federation  of  


APPENDIX 


2IQ 


coini>osed  of officially  appointed  representatives  of 

the  churches  or  denominations  in  its  membership,  of  whom 

shall  be  lay  members  (see  note),  together  with  the 

officers  of  the  Federation  and  ithe  chairmen  of  standing  com- 
mittees. It  shall  also  be  competent  for  the  Council  to  admit_  to 
its  meetings  by  two-^thirds  vote  any  member  as  a corresponding 
member  with  the  right  to  debate,  but  not  the  right  to  vote. 


Note — The  basis  of  representation  must  obviously  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  size  and  nature  of  the  organization.  In  a federa- 
tion of  denominations  the  ratio  is  usually  one  clergyman  and 
one  layman  for  a given  number  of  communicants  or  churches. 
In  a federation  of  local  churches  each  church  is  usually  repre- 
sented by  pastor  and  two  or  more  lay  members  from  each 
church,  or  pastor  and  one  lay  member  for  each  loo  members. 

Section  2.  The  Council  shall  hold  annual  meetings  or  such 
other  meetings  as  are  provided  for  in  the  by-laws  of  this 
Federation. 

Section  3.  Special  meetings  of  the  Council  may  be  called 
by  the  President  or  the  Executive  Committee. 

Article  V 
OMcers 

Section  i.  The  officers  of  the  Federation  shall  be  a Presi- 
dent, two  or  more  Vice-presidents,  a Corresponding  or  Ex- 
ecutive Secretary,  a Recording  Secretary,  a Treasurer,  and  such 
other  officers  as  shall  be  found  necessary,  all  of  whom  shall 
be  elected  by  the  Council  at  its  annual  meeting  and  shall  serve 
until  the  next  annual  meeting,  or  until  their  successors  are 
qualified. 

Section  2.  The  President,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  Vice-presi- 
dent, shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Council.  He  shall 
appoint  all  committees  not  otherwise  provided  for  and  shall  be 
ex-officio  member  of  all  committees  except  where  otherwise  pro- 
vided by  the  Council. 

Section  3.  The  Recording  Secretary  shall  keep  the  minutes 
of  all  meetings  of  the  Council  and  shall  attend  to  other  matters 
pertaining  to  notice  of  meetings,  notifications  of  appointments, 
and  care  of  records.  He  may  also,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
Council,  be  appointed  Recording  Secretary  of  the  Executive 
Committee. 

Section  4.  The  Corresponding  or  Executive  Secretary  shall 
conduct  the  correspondence  of  the  Federation  and  administrate 
its  general  affairs  as  the  Council  and  Executive  Committee  shall 
determine. 

Section  5.  The  Treasurer  shall  receive  all  funds  of  the 
Federation,  giving  receipts  therefor,  and  shall  under  his  official 
title  of  "Treasurer  of  the  Oiurch  Federation  of ” 


220 


APPENDIX 


deposit  and  keep  all  such  money  in  a convenient  bank  and  pay 
out  the  same  upon  properly  certified  orders  as  hereinafter  pro- 
vided, and  shall  make  a detailed  report  of  such  matters  at  the 
regular  meetings,  or  whenever  reauested  to  do  so. 

Section  6.  The  Recording  Secretary  and  the  Treasurer 
shall  each  keep  his  records  and  accounts  in  permanent  form  in 
suitable  books  which  shall  be  the  property  of  the  Council,  and 
to  be  turned  over  on  demand  of  their  successors  in  office. 

Article  VI 
Committees 

Section  i.  There  shall  be  an  Executive  Committee  to  act 
for  the  Federation  in  the  interim  between  the  meetings  of  the 
Council,  and  carry  out  its  policies,  to  consist  of  the  President, 
Recording  or  Corresponding  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  Chair- 
men of  Departments,  ex-officiis,  and other  persons,  selected 

by  the  Council  with  proper  regard  for  denominational  repre- 
sentation. The  Executive  Committee  may  elect  its  own  chairman. 

Section  2.  The  Executive  Committee  may  appoint  such  other 
committees  or  establish  such  departments  as  the  work  of  the 
Federation  may  demand.  (See  note.) 


Note — The  following  are  the  committees  or  departments  sug- 
gested by  the  experience  of  successful  Federations;  First,  a 
Committee  on  Finance  to  assist  the  Executive  Committee  in 
raising  funds.  Departments : First,  on  Comity,  to  make  denom- 
inational relations  harmonious,  Christian,  and  cooperative. 
Second,  Community  Evangelism,  to  strengthen  all  the  churches 
and  reach  the  unenlisted  and  unchurched.  Third,  Home  and 
Foreign  Missions.  Fourth,  Religious  Education,  including 
Bible  Schools.  Young  People’s  Societies,  Special  Work  for  Girls 
and  Boys.  Fifth,  Social  Service,  including  Temperance,  Social 
Hygiene,  Industrial  Goodwill,  Legislation,  and  Law  Enforce- 
ment. Sixth,  International  Justice  and  Goodwill  to  promote 
application  of  the  Golden  Rule  to  nations  and  world  justice  by 
world  organization.  Seventh,  Publicitv,  to  keep  the  whole  pro- 
gram of  the  churches  and  the  federation  before  the  public. 

Article  VII 
Finances 

Section  I.  The  Council  shall  annually  decide  upon  a budget 
of  expenditures  and  shall  request  the  churches  or  denominations 
which  belong  to  the  Federation  to  share  in  the  same  on  some 
apportionment  basis.  (See  note.) 


Note — It  is  understood  that  a Federation  has  no  power  of 
taxation,  and  that  denominational  contributions  must  be  volun- 
tary. Until  the  churches  are  educated  to  the  ideal,  it  is  often 


APPENDIX 


221 


necessary  to  raise  the  funds  needed  by  the  contributions  of 
individuals. 

Section  2.  No  bill  exceeding  $ shall  be  incurred  by  any 

officer  or  committee  or  department,  except  upon  the  approval 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  all  bills,  before  payment,  shall 
be  countersigned  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Executive  or  Finance 
Committee. 

Article  VIII 
Quorum 

Section  1.  A quorum  of  any  meeting  of  the  Council  shall 

consist  of  members,  representing  at  least  of 

the  churches  or  denominations  belonging;  and  at  any  meeting 
of  a committee,  a majority  of  its  members;  or,  if  any  commit- 
tee shall  consist  of  more  than  nine  members,  a quorum  shall 
be  five. 

Article  IX 
Elections 

All  elections  shall  be  by  ballot. 

Article  X 
Amendments 

Section  i.  This  Constitution  may  be  amended  at  any  meeting 
of  the  Council  by  two-thirds  vote  of  the  members  present,  pro- 
vided that  due  notice  of  any  proposed  amendment  shall  be  giv- 
en in  writing  at  a preceding  meeting  of  the  Council,  or  the 
request  of  any  five  members  of  the  Council  representing  at 

least  of  the  denominations  represented,  shall  be  inserted  in 

the  notice  of  the  time  at  which  the  amendment  is  to  be  acted 
upon. 


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